


Memoirs from cell 7A5

by Chansick



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: A lot of flashbacks take place, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Prison, Angst, Comedy, Crimes & Criminals, Developing Relationship, M/M, Mentions of drugs and violence, Prison playbook inspired, Relationship Study, Smoking, Swearing, iKON is in jail except for Donghyuk, there's also a bit of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-04-25 04:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14370651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chansick/pseuds/Chansick
Summary: After ending up being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Yunhyeong is charged and later sentenced for a murder he didn’t commit and goes to prison.However the life behind bars turns out to be not as dull as he expected, his cellmates making sure of that.An encounter of diverse yet somewhat miserable backstories, and their ability to get along in order to find a spark of light within the gloom of imprisonment.





	1. Innocent murderer

**Author's Note:**

> If you have seen the kdrama ''Prison Playbook'' you are going to see a bunch of similarities in this fic. I am not even trying to deny, that drama inspired the crap out of me. (The prison's name is also Seobu Penitentiary because I'm really bad at naming things)
> 
> And honestly who doesn't love the idea of iKON being locked up in the same room 247?
> 
> Forgive me if I have made some mistakes with some of the themes (court scene for example), I got most of my source from google. And I am not a native English speaker so- yeah, you know the drill. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> Also come say hi on twitter! @softyundong

It was raining hard that day. The view outside was gray, gloomy even. As if it was reflecting the mind of the man  who was sitting inside the bus and staring out of the window without an expression. The glass was wet, covered in raindrops, and the unchanging scenery didn’t offer much of an entertainment to the passengers. The man still kept his eyes fixed tightly on the trees passing by or the simple grassy ground, avoiding looking down and facing the fact that he was in handcuffs.

Behind him he heard another man speaking, most likely to himself, blurting out complaints about today’s justice system. He sighed, leaning his head back and closed his eyes, thinking back at everything that had happened leading him to this situation.

  
  
  
Yunhyeong had always been persistent on living his life diligently. As early as in elementary school he had studied hard to get good grades. Being born in an entrepreneur family, he was taught from early age the importance of education and money handling skills.

 He always stayed a model student and grew up to become a wise young man, his efforts eventually providing him a spot to study in Seoul university. That was where he had met Donghyuk, a male who had swept Yunhyeong off his feet at the very first glance - literally. Yunhyeong had tripped over a chair Donghyuk had accidentally forgotten to push back to the table, falling flat on the floor, face first into his lunch tray.

 As he had got up onto his hands, some soup along with kimchi and rice decorating his features, in front of him Yunhyeong had seen a man so beautiful he had nearly gasped. The man, Kim Donghyuk, had been on a verge of tears - being a freshman while Yunhyeong was in his senior year - apologizing to him over and over again while the entire cafeteria watched.

 It definitely hadn’t been your everyday love story, but it was how Yunhyeong had found his soulmate.

 Song Yunhyeong was also an urban legend. The urban legend of getting a stable job right after graduating from university. His very first job interview had fished him a workplace in a big, famous company where he planned working in until the day of his retirement.

 To put it short, Yunhyeong had it all. Yunhyeong’s life was perfect. On top of that, he never let any of his success get to his head. If one were to ask anyone who personally knew him what kind of man Song Yunhyeong was, most of them would instantly answer with the word ‘kind’. After that would come adjectives such as ‘clever’, ‘warm hearted’, ‘sensible’ or ‘thoughtful’.

 That’s why it was a great shock to everyone when Yunhyeong was charged with second degree murder.

  
  
The night that changed many lives - and ended one - had started like any other. For Yunhyeong though, it had been special since he had gone to have dinner with his company superiors and coworkers.

  
‘’I’m sure young employees like you bring great value to big corporations like ours. Young brain tend to have many fresh ideas!’’

 ‘’That’s right. Yunhyeong, aren’t you currently youngest of the team?’’

 ‘’Yes,’’ the said man replied, sitting across from the three elders with his two teammates. They were sitting in a VIP room of a restaurant, finished their dinner and having drinks. Though, it was mainly the superiors consuming alcohol, the three others making sure their glasses were filled whenever they wanted.

 ‘’Didn’t you know, manager Choi, Song Yunhyeong got in just two months after graduating and is only on his third year in the company. His age is truly enviable!’’ Director Lee, sitting in the middle, announced.

 ‘’Oh, is that right? Well then, I see a bright future ahead of you! You will pave your way to one of the head positions for certain.’’

 ‘’Both of you mind your words. You’re making a young fellow feel uneasy here,’’ the third man chuckled. Director Yoon, Yunhyeong’s personal favorite.

‘’Not at all,’’ Yunhyeong said with a smile. ‘’I will work hard to meet your expectations, manager Choi.’’

 ‘’Splendid!’’ the man with a great number of gray hair on his head beamed, raising his empty shot glass and Yunhyeong instantly picked a bottle of Soju, pouring it to manager Choi’s glass politely.

  
  
‘’Go safely. Thank you director Yoon!’’

 The three employees  sent the last one of their superiors home and bowed after the taxi, all of them giving a matching deep sigh afterwards as they straightened back up.

 ‘’Ugh, my legs were killing me the whole time. I’m really not meant to sit on the floor for that long,’’ Haein, the older teammate complained.

 ‘’You two have no work tomorrow, right?’’ Seungyoon asked.

 ‘’Yeah, why?’’

 ‘’Let’s go to a club! A friend of mine owns a pretty neat place nearby, he’ll get us a spot at the VIP balcony.’’

 ‘’Sure, why not?’’ Haein gave a shrug before turning towards Yunhyeong. ‘’Are you in?’’

‘’Of course he is! You may have come in good terms with the directors, but you still have to us to convince,’’ Seungyoon smirked.

‘’No, don’t say that,’’ Haein scolded his teammate with a frown before looking back at Yunhyeong. ‘’Really, you don’t have to come if you have plans. It’s alright.’’

 Yunhyeong gave a smile and shook his head. ‘’No, I’m good. I’ll come.’’

‘’Decided then! I’ll let my friend know we’re on our way.’’

 As Seungyoon started typing his phone Haein gave Yunhyeong another look, as if for reassurance, and Yunhyeong gave him a short nod. Apparently the team leader’s careful treatment at the youngest didn’t only apply to the working hours. Yunhyeong was still kind of grateful for that.

 As the two started hunting for a cab, Yunhyeong took his phone to type a message to Donghyuk.

  
_'Hey I think this will take longer than planned, Seungyoon is dragging us to a club.’_

 It took only a few seconds before the typing bubble appeared from Donghyuk’s end.

 ‘ _That’s okay^^ Have fun!’_

 The typing bubble appeared again. Donghyuk was a double texter, a habit Yunhyeong wasn’t really a fan of, but he didn’t mind anything his boyfriend did.

 ‘ _When you leave tell my address to the taxi driver. I’ll take care of you~~’_

 They were supposed to watch a movie that night at Donghyuk’s place. Of course Yunhyeong felt apologetic having to ditch the younger man like that, but he was sure his boyfriend understood. Donghyuk had started working in an advertising agency only half a year earlier, and also knew the drill of getting close with coworkers.

 Yunhyeong wrote back a simple ‘ _See you later’_ before hearing the others calling him, having just stopped a cab.

  
The club owned by Seungyoon’s friend was truly a fine one. Even finer at the balcony at the second floor where they had lots of space and a great view to the crowded dance floor downstairs. Seungyoon had disappeared somewhere almost right away after getting there, Yunhyeong and Haein sitting down at one of the bar tables, getting rid of their blazers.

 ‘’Has it been hard in the new team? It’s been only two months since you joined us,’’ the team leader inquired as they were having their first drinks.

 ‘’Hard? Not at all, with such a great leader,’’ Yunhyeong answered, making Haein crumple his face and wave his hand in a flattered manner.

 ‘’What do you mean great… Anyway, I’m happy to hear you’ve been comfortable working with us. We’re all also glad to have you,’’ Haein smiled. ‘’Yes, me and others have been talking behind your back.’’

 Now it was Yunhyeong’s turn to feel flattered. ‘’That’s a relief, I did feel pressured at the beginning. Thank you, sunbaenim.’’

 ‘’Ah, just drop the honorifics for tonight. We’re not at work right now. Haein hyung is alright,’’ the team leader gave a wink.

 ‘’Sure, sunb- Haein hyung.’’

  
Drinks were flowing, alcohol making the conversations more and more relaxed. Haein turned out to be even cooler guy when the formality of working environment was removed. Seungyoon seemed the same, Yunhyeong couldn’t tell for sure since the man spent most of the time somewhere else, stopping by at their table every now and then to exchange a word or two before disappearing again.

 One of those times Seungyoon joined Yunhyeong and Haein, he was carrying three full shot glasses which he landed on the table.

 ‘’Here, the most expensive shots of the house. I’m not going to reveal the prize so that you two won’t feel bothered. I got them for free anyway.’’

 ‘’Looks like straight up poison, though,’’ Haein pointed out with a raised brow. He was clearly tipsy as well as Yunhyeong, the two having their ties loosened and shirt sleeves rolled up.

 ‘’It does,’’ Yunhyeong agreed with a nod, staring at the plain black liquid that was in the glasses.

 ‘’Exactly as it tastes!’’ Seungyoon pointed out with a snap of fingers, his grin not making much sense considering his words. The man took one of the glasses and raised it up, waiting until the two had done the same. ‘’Here’s to a good health.’’

 ‘’Wouldn’t use those words…’’ Yunhyeong mumbled but collided his glasses with the others’, the three dumping their shots at the same time.

 ‘’Holy hell of the love of FUCK!’’ Haein exclaimed and slammed his palm hard against the surface of the table.

 Yunhyeong was leaning back with arms over his head, meanwhile Seungyoon was pulling at his own hair with an overwhelmed expression.

 ‘’Woosh! Damn that’s some good stuff.’’

 ‘’What the hell is in that?’’ Haein asked before coughing. Yunhyeong slumped in his seat.

 ‘’That… is also a secret,’’ Seungyoon brought his finger to his lips.

 ‘’Whatever it is, it’s going to take me out within the next sixty seconds,’’ the team leader announced and slumped as well, him and Yunhyeong looking like a couple of misplaced mannequins.

  
Seungyoon went off again soon after, and like Haein had addressed, Yunhyeong had turned from tipsy to drunk after only minutes from drinking the tar-like shot. So had the team leader, but that didn’t stop the two from ordering more drinks.

 At some point two women joined their table and Yunhyeong as Haein had no reason to mind that. The women were also clearly having alcohol in their system, and it was easy for them to join their conversation of which Yunhyeong wasn’t keeping well on track anymore. He guessed Haein’s state wasn’t any better, though.

 Yunhyeong didn’t pay much attention to how the woman sitting next to him was subtly making her way closer to him in her seat. Only when he felt a hand on his shoulder Yunhyeong turned to look at her. He met her eyes that were decorated with strong glitter, which sort of matched with her dress with silver sequins.

 ‘’How are you so handsome, hm? Do you work as a model?’’ she asked, blinking innocently but her smile was clearly flirtatious. Yunhyeong gave an airy, stiff laugh and moved his shoulder to have the woman remove her hand from him.

 ‘’Thank you, but I don’t. Also at this point I’d like to point out that I’m taken, so…’’ he bowed his head and turned back towards the table. So did the woman, with a pout on her lips.

  
The woman seated next to Haein apparently was more lucky, as a moment later she was openly flirting with the man and didn’t get rejected. When she was typing her number to Haein’s phone, Yunhyeong saw from the corner of his eye how the woman in silver sequin dress downed a shot.

 ‘’Your girlfriend… I don’t think she’s here right now,’’ she slurred after turning back towards Yunhyeong. The man sighed, opening his mouth to answer but froze when he felt her hand touching him again. This time it was on Yunhyeong’s thigh.

 He instantly flinched away from her and gave the woman a hard look.

 ‘’Hey, can’t you just take a hint at the first time, huh?! I’m not interested so keep your hands off!’’

 His raised voice made a few heads turn at them. Haein and the woman he was talking with also halted to stare. The woman with glitter eyes pursed her lips, huffed through her nose and got up to walk away after grabbing her purse.

 ‘’Jangmi… Hey, wait up!’’ the other woman called before rushing after her friend.

 Haein stared after them and then turned at Yunhyeong. ‘’Some people just don’t get it if not by being hard-and-fast about it…’’

 ‘’Yeah,’’ Yunhyeong sighed and drank his glass empty.

 ‘’You and your lover… how long have you two been together?’’

 ‘’Three years and eight months now,’’ Yunhyeong answered with a proud smile.

 Haein leaned his head against his palm and hummed. ‘’That’s so nice. I’m jealous.’’

 ‘’You’re single yourself then? I would at least assume so, based on what was going on just now.’’

 ‘’Yeah,’’ Haein nodded and landed his gaze onto the table. ‘’I’ve been solo for two years now. She dumped me, but I deserved it really. When I was promoted as the team leader I felt so pressured to do well that I ended up basically ignoring her. We were together since high school.’’

 ‘’Ouch.’’

 ‘’Ouch. So be careful, you will get another promotion for sure in no time. And when you do, don’t let your work take over the other parts of your life. Don’t forget the things that truly matter.’’

 Yunhyeong nodded at the team leader’s drunken life advice. ‘’I won’t.’’

 ‘’Promise that, you brat.’’

 ‘’I promise,’’ Yunhyeong said with a wasted, affectionate smile.

 ‘’You guys! Still alive and well, I see,’’ Seungyoon’s beaming voice joined in as he crashed onto a seat next to Yunhyeong, landing three shot glasses on the table.

 ‘’Seungyoon, no!’’ Haein protested as he saw that the man had brought the same black poison shots.

 ‘’Seungyoon, yes!’’ Seungyoon rubbed his hands together excitedly.

 ‘’If I take another one of those it’s really going to be game over for tonight,’’ Haein announced, and as a reply Seungyoon took one of the shots and dumped it down his throat. He then leaned forward, elbows on the table, staring at Haein tightly as a challenge.

 The team leader huffed, tugging at his tie before taking a shot. He tried to keep his posture, but had to punch the table with the side of his fist three times before being able to do so. Now he watched Yunhyeong, leaning forward just like Seungyoon had done.

 Yunhyeong inhaled as he stared back tightly. Then he took the last remaining glass and drank it without hesitation. The bitter and straight up _horrible_ taste made him grit his teeth violently and stiffen his shoulders, but he managed to maintain the eye contact with the team leader. The two kept staring at each other without nearly blinking, hands squeezed into fists.

‘’Uhh… guys?’’ Seungyoon’s voice didn’t distract them as they kept staring, leaning more and more forward, up until Yunhyeong got too close to the edge of his seat and dropped to the floor with a loud clash.

  
‘’This is my ugly younger sister… and this is my ugly younger sister’s ugly dog,’’ Yunhyeong slurred while swiping through the pictures in his phone gallery. He was now sitting next to Haein, the two leaning their heads against each other and Seungyoon seated opposite from them, barely conscious anymore.

 ‘’Oh my god, its eyes are so big that it looks more like a frog than a dog. That’s so adorable,’’ Haein gasped. ‘’What’s his name?’’

 ‘’Ggotnim.’’

 ‘’Can you introduce us?’’

 ‘’Of course!’’

Yunhyeong then frowned and squinted his eyes as a notification appeared at the top of the screen. ‘’Wait... the love of my life wants to talk to me.’’

 He opened the conversation and with great effort he was able to read the message he had received from Donghyuk.

_'How are you doing over there? :0’_

 Yunhyeong saw better not to make the younger man worry with how drunk he was, so he decided to reply with a casual _‘in vrru hereatr i misdd yiou a klt’._

 Donghyuk’s next message popped up almost instantly. _‘It is time for Mr. Promotion to get his ass in a cab’._

 ‘’Oh no, I think he found out I’ve drunk tonight…’’ Yunhyeong mumbled with a pout, straightening up. Haein flinched as the support of Yunhyeong’s frame moved, blinking his eyes as if he had just woken up, giving the younger a curious look.

 ‘’Are you leaving?’’

 ‘’Yes, I suddenly want to see my boyfriend,’’ Yunhyeong nodded his head - that suddenly felt like a giant stone - before stumbling onto his feet. He stopped when Haein’s hand grabbed his wrist.

 ‘’Text me when you get there, you hear me you brat? Don’t make me worry.’’

 ‘’Yes sir,’’ Yunhyeong answered and gave the team leader a formal bow, almost losing his balance in the process.

 ‘’Careful!’’ both of his coworkers scolded.

 ‘’Hey… I’ll walk you to the taxi, okay?’’ Seungyoon suggested.

 ‘’No need for that, I’m completely fine… Not even that drunk,’’ Yunhyeong waved his hand casually and made a turn to leave without waiting for a reply. His blazer was long forgotten over the back of one of the chairs. His wallet inside its pocket.

  
The process of getting himself out of the club seemed much harder than Yunhyeong had thought, as he seemed to black out every now and then without however losing his consciousness. He had a strong sense that he had stopped somewhere for a reason he couldn’t remember afterwards.

 Before he could even realize, Yunhyeong had managed to make his way down from the VIP balcony and was stumbling along the crowded first floor, blindly looking for an exit. Another blackout, then Yunhyeong found himself on a hallway with an exit in front of him. He walked out, the loud music dying down gradually as he stepped to the sidewalk.

 Another blackout.

 Yunhyeong blinked his heavy eyelids as he looked down. He frowned at the view in front of him.

 ‘’Are you… okay?’’ he slurred, taking a step closer to the pile of trash bags left next to the wall of a side alley, and the woman laying on top of them.

 He dropped something from his hand. Something he had been holding, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Probably his phone, not that he even really noticed.

 ‘’Hey, it’s dangerous to pass out in a place like this… Miss? Get back to your senses,’’ Yunhyeong called as he got down to shake the woman by the shoulder. Her head turned from the movement, and Yunhyeong noticed the glitter around her eyes. Looking down, he came to realize that the woman was wearing a dress with silver sequins.

 ‘’Miss! Please wake up, you shouldn’t be here…’’

 Looking at her face, Yunhyeong saw the dark trails down her cheeks as a mixture of makeup and tears.

 ‘’Miss?’’

 He attempted to shake her awake again, but the woman stayed limp in his hold. Yunhyeong frowned, head getting dizzy but he did his best to stay in his right mind.

 A wave of worry suddenly flushed over his guts as he stared at the woman’s features. She was warm, but something was wrong.

 Bringing his hand to the top of her neck, Yunhyeong searched for a pulse. His breath got stuck in his throat as he was unable to find any.

 ‘’What’s going on in there?’’

 ‘’Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!’’

 Yunhyeong wasn’t able to react to the strange voices before someone grabbed at him harshly and he was pushed down on the asphalt, receiving a violent punch across the face.

 ‘’What did you do to her you sick fuck?!’’

 Another strong hit.

 Then Yunhyeong was out.

  
  
  
The first thing he acknowledged was the throbbing pain in his head. Actually it was the only thing Yunhyeong could think of for a good while as it overwhelmed all his senses. As he finally moved, he also felt the discomfort on his back, as if he had been sleeping on something hard.

 With a great effort his cracked an eye open. The ceiling above him wasn’t a familiar one, he realized. Turning his head with even greater effort, Yunhyeong saw that he was indeed laying on a floor. But that was what he focused on; his thoughts were on the bars. Why were there bars?

 He somehow got the energy to get up, trying his best to ignore his tormenting hangover as he wanted to figure out where he was and why he was there. Looking around, Yunhyeong came to realize he was indeed in a small cell.

 ‘’Hello?’’ he called while rubbing his temple, gazing through the white bars with tired eyes. He leaned his head against one of them lazily and looked towards a hallway on his right. It didn’t take much for him to realize that he was in a police station. For what reason, Yunhyeong had no idea. He couldn’t remember much anything from the previous night.

 ‘’Excuse me, could someone please tell me why I’m in here…’’ his voice died down near the end as he brought his hands up to rub his face. He groaned at the pain. Why was there pain on his face?

 Yunhyeong flinched hard at a loud metallic whack right next to him, and when he raised his head he saw an officer standing right in front of him outside the cell.

 ‘’Finally got back to your senses, you bastard?’’

 Yunhyeong blinked, a frown slowly forming on his face. ‘’Excuse me? Please mind your words and tell me why I’m locked up, will you?’’

 The officer scoffed out an emotionless laugh. He raised his moustached upper lip. ‘’You don’t even remember what you did, brat?’’ he asked, making Yunhyeong roll his eyes at his informal way of speaking to him.

 ‘’What did I do, then?’’ he asked, the annoyance in his voice being both from his strong hangover and the degrading way the officer was looking at him.

 The man only stared at him silently for a good moment.

 ‘’Wanna know what you did, huh? You got yourself in some deep shit, that’s what you did.’’

  
  
Yunhyeong was let out of the cell, only to be moved in an interrogation room. Sitting on the hard chair, he buried his face into his hands as he wished this would be over as soon as possible. He only wanted some goddamn water and to go home to sleep for the rest of the day.

 ‘’Now speak, what parts of last night do you remember?’’ the officer asked.

 ‘’I went to a club with two coworkers, drank, got drunk, left the club alone… and… wait,’’ Yunhyeong frowned. ‘’Was I knocked out by someone?’’

 ‘’Oh, you haven’t seen yourself from the mirror, right? Got some marvellous bruise there. Looks good on you.’’

 ‘’Will you just get to the point and tell me why I am being held in here?’’ Yunhyeong asked after a sigh, too tired to go along with the officer’s ragging game.

 ‘’Let me refresh your memory a little,’’ the man said, opening a file and taking something from between, sliding a photograph across the table right in front of Yunhyeong.

 He stared at a picture of a woman he didn’t recognize uninterestedly before raising a brow at the officer. ‘’Who’s that?’’

 The way the officer suddenly stood up and slammed his palms onto the table aggressively made Yunhyeong jump backwards and stare at the man wide-eyed.

 ‘’Just cut the bullshit already, you bastard! That is Hong Jangmi, a woman who got to live only 22 years before you strangled her to death last night!’’

 Suddenly Yunhyeong’s hangover was long forgotten as he stared at the officer’s furious face, his mouth opening in disbelief. ‘’W-what?’’ he breathed out. ‘’No, I- Wait…’’ He leaned forward, hands against his temples, staring at the picture.

 He suddenly recalled the woman laying on top of the trashbags. He blinked his eyes, breathing in and shaking his head.

 ‘’Remembering now?’’

 ‘’I… Wait, no,’’ Yunhyeong straightened up. ‘’You’ve got the wrong guy. I didn’t do anything to her, I only found her unconscious and tried to wake her up when someone stopped me.’’

 ‘’Yeah right. I already told you to stop trying to feed me shit. You were passed out long enough for us to gather all the evidence of that you killed her.’’

 ‘’Evidence?’’

 ‘’Her purse was spread out on the alley, the only fingerprints found on her wallet. Your fingerprints. CCTV footage shows you following her to the alley only three minutes after her. Her friend also confirmed that you lashed out at the victim earlier inside the club. Also the witnesses claim that you were indeed still strangling her when they spotted you on top of her.’’

 ‘’I was checking for her pulse!’’ Yunhyeong snapped.

 ‘’Just give up, you’re already caught, asshole!’’

 Yunhyeong exhaled heavily and leaned back, running his hand through his hair.

 ‘’I want to make a phone call. I have a right to a phone call.’’

 Yunhyeong had no idea if he had a right to a phone call, he had just seen people in movies say so.

 The officer however nodded. ‘’Sure, make your phone call. I really want to see how you try to get yourself out of this, you rat.’’

  
Yunhyeong leaned against the wall as he typed a number to a phone at the wall of the station. He was feeling sick again, this time even more than before.

 ‘’Donghyuk, it’s me,’’ he said right as the other end picked up.

 ‘’Yunhyeong what the hell? I’ve been trying to call you for at least 40 times by now! Where are you? I’ve been worried sick!’’

 ‘’Okay, this may sound really weird but I’m at the police station.’’

 ‘’...What?’’

 ‘’Listen till the end, alright? They think I killed someone. I found this woman lying unconscious but now they’re telling me that she’s dead and accuse me of strangling her. I tried to explain that I didn’t do it but it’s like they’ve already decided that I- Donghyuk, I need you to do something for me. Call my dad and explain him what’s going on. Tell him… that I need a lawyer. It’s a complete mess over here and I just want to get away from here as soon as I can.’’

 It was quiet for a moment. ‘’Okay… Okay, I’ll do that. Hang in there, we’re gonna get you out of there. Don’t answer any questions before your lawyer arrives.’’

 ‘’Alright, thanks Dong,’’ Yunhyeong sighed, feeling slightly relieved. ‘’I chose to call you because I knew you’d be worried by now.’’

 ‘’I really was. But it’s okay. Thank you for calling. I’ll start working on it now, okay? Which station are you at?’’

 ‘’Gangnam.’’

 ‘'Alright. Just hang in there a little more. I love you.’’

 ‘’I love you too.’’

  
  
Yunhyeong was finally, _finally_ , given some water after that. Even though it really didn’t remove the desire to throw up his entire guts, he felt like he was able to live after all. Like Donghyuk had told, Yunhyeong refused to speak as he waited for his lawyer.

 And soon enough the interrogation room door opened and a man in suit whizzed in.

 ‘’Good afternoon, I am Kang Daesung, Song Yunhyeong’s lawyer,’’ the man announced as he took a seat next to Yunhyeong. The hungover man gave him a small bow.

 ‘’Ah, yes hello, nice to meet you even if it’s in such an unfortunate situation,’’ lawyer Kang smiled nonchalantly. ‘’Your boyfriend and father are waiting outside, let me handle this and we’re good to go.’’

 ‘’You’re going to handle this in court if somewhere. Your client here is going to get charged for sure,’’ the officer said, leaning back on his seat with crossed arms. Smug bastard.

 ‘’My client can’t be charged without proper evidence. You’re also unable to hold him here for long without a good reason,’’ lawyer Kang told, his smile never fading from his face.

 ‘’Oh, evidence?’’ the officer laughed. ‘’There is some good evidence we’ve got.’’

 The smile still remained. Only lawyer Kang’s eyelids blinked rapidly and the man raised his brows. ‘’There is?’’

 ‘’Oh yes, plenty.’’

 As the man then turned to look at his client instead, his smile was reminding Yunhyeong of a creepy doll he had seen in some horror movie.

 ‘’It’s all just a big misunderstanding,’’ Yunhyeong muttered, his hands making a slight ball motion to highlight the word ‘big’.

 Lawyer Kang turned back towards to officer, raising his index finger and opening his mouth. Then he squeezed his hand to a fist and brought it to his mouth which he had closed right away.

 ‘’Officer Wang, I’d like to talk with my client privately for a minute.’’

  
  
  
From there, time flew by really quick. Everything seemed to happen in a haze. For Yunhyeong, it felt like a movie in which the main character was standing still but everything around him was moving in a speed-up motion.

 Yunhyeong did get charged. There was no getting around it. No one seemed to believe that instead of murdering the woman Yunhyeong had only discovered her body. Except for literally everyone Yunhyeong knew personally.

  
‘’Does this make any sense? Instead of looking for an actual murderer they’re going to keep bothering an innocent man!’’

 ‘’Dad, your heart rate,’’ Yunhyeong mumbled to the man sitting next to him in the room which was wide and empty except for a table in the middle of it. Sun shined brightly from the window making some dust visible as it was flowing in the air.

 Donghyuk was sitting opposite from him next to lawyer Kang, who had been diligently preparing for the court hearing which was to start on the following day.

 ‘’Is this really what my son gets for trying to help someone…’’ Yunhyeong’s father muttered through gritted teeth.

 ‘’There’s no need to worry. We have lots of material to confirm Yunhyeong’s version of the events,’’ lawyer Kang said assuringly. ‘’We just need to make sure to present it the way it will convince the judge.’’

 Yunhyeong felt a hand taking his own. Turning his head, he saw Donghyuk reaching over the table and looking at their fingers absently. Yunhyeong took the younger man’s hand into both of his, squeezing it comfortingly. Donghyuk finally looked up at his eyes and Yunhyeong gave him a smile. His lover really tried to return it, but didn’t succeed very well with that. Maybe the fact that Yunhyeong was wearing the navy blue clothes of his pre-trial detention center was one of the factors. Donghyuk hadn’t been smiling sincerely ever since he had wore them for the first time.

 Lawyer Kang noticed the couple’s interlaced fingers and gave both of them a bright smile. ‘’It’s going to be alright, really. I will have Donghyuk to testify as Yunhyeong’s partner that he’s not a violent person. The suspect’s character must be considered in these type of cases. Also the coworker that was there has promised to testify for you, Yunhyeong. He can clarify what really happened between you and the victim at the club. Also, I have some aces up the sleeve. We will win the case for sure.’’

  
  
The first hearing would always be on top of Yunhyeong’s list of his most horrible memories. It had been like that ever since his arrival to the courthouse, as he had been mobbed by bunch of reporters on his way inside. The case, gotten a name _Gangnam club strangling_ , had become pretty famous within the media. Yunhyeong wasn’t very loved by the people of his own country.

 As he had arrived to the courtroom, he had seen the victim’s family for the first time. They had been crying, but it hadn’t really softened the way they had looked at him like a monster. Also, as soon as lawyer Kang had announced that they were pleading innocent, a man had jumped up and rushed his way to the front managing to punch Yunhyeong in the face with his fist before being seized.

 ‘’At least admit what you did, you bastard!’’ the man had yelled. Later Yunhyeong had found out that he was the victim’s older brother.

 The judge had been banging his gavel and demanded order to the courtroom as lawyer Kang was questioning if Yunhyeong was okay.

  
The proceedings hadn’t become any less of a mess after that. The prosecutor, a fierce woman with even fiercer gaze, pressed down each point lawyer Kang made along with his witnesses. She claimed Yunhyeong had an intention to kill the victim ever since she had tried to approach him at the balcony, even after Haein had been at the witness stand and telling that the situation had been forgotten instantly afterwards.

  
Lawyer Kang had shown two photographs as one of his evidence. The first one was a picture the victim had posted on her social media only hours before the murder. Lawyer Kang had pointed out the necklace she was wearing in it. Next he had shown a picture taken of the victim at the crime scene. The picture had showed that she was no longer wearing her necklace, which afterwards hadn’t been found at the club or at the surroundings of the scene. That’s what lawyer Kang used to reinforce his theory of an attacker who wasn’t caught on the CCTV footage, as there were no cameras pointing at the alley.

 For a moment Yunhyeong thought that someone would start suspecting the fact that he could be innocent, up until the prosecutor had started talking. She claimed the necklace could’ve been dropped in the crowded club and taken by a random bypasser.

 ‘’That was still a very good point,’’ Yunhyeong had whispered to his lawyer.

  
  
Yunhyeong’s life had suddenly become nothing but sitting in the private cell of the detention center or in the courtroom. He had become absent, almost unresponsive. His mind wasn’t still fully wrapped around what was going on even after several months.

 Once it finally did wrap around everything, Yunhyeong had been having a regular meeting with lawyer Kang, a day before the final hearing.

 ‘’Lawyer Kang…’’ he suddenly said after not speaking a word during the whole session. ‘’I am not a murderer.’’

 His lawyer looked up at him, looking a little taken aback for a second before his trademark smile rose to his lips. ‘’I know, I know. Everyone will know eventually.’’

 ‘’No one else seems to know…’’ Yunhyeong mumbled, sucking in a hitched breath. ‘’The whole country thinks I killed someone.’’

 ‘’Yunhyeong, you-’’

 ‘’I don’t want to go to jail,’’ he shook his head, already crying. ‘’I didn’t do anything, I swear. I swear to god. I may not remember what happened before I saw her lying there but… I could never do something like that. Please believe me, lawyer Kang.’’

 ‘’Listen,’’ lawyer Kang said softly. ‘’I believe you, okay?’’

 It only made Yunhyeong cry harder. He folded his arms on the table and pressed his head on top of them.

 ‘’Please save me. I’m begging you. Please… I don’t want to go to jail. I didn’t murder her… Oh my god, please.’’

 All lawyer Kang could do was to stare at Yunhyeong helplessly as he had his breakdown.

  
  
  
‘’Prosecution, please give your closing statement.’’

 

 The prosecutor stood, making her way to the middle of the room.

 ‘’On September 18th 2017 defendant Song Yunhyeong murdered 22-year old Hong Jangmi as an act of momentary rage. The victim showed interest towards the defendant which was the cause of his enrage because of his current relationship with another person. 9 minutes after 11PM the defendant saw Hong Jangmi leave the VIP balcony of the club the two had spent the evening at, following her outside and to the alley where he violently strangled her to death.

 ‘’After the act, the defendant made a hasty drunken decision to rob her as he had left his own wallet inside the the club and as he needed to afford his transportation. However, he returned to strangle the victim, up until two witnesses found him. Throughout the hearing the defendant has been avoiding the consequences of his sin, giving claims of a third person the defence is unable to give proper evidence of. The victim’s family will never be able to live without the pain of losing a loved one in such an horrendous act. That’s why, your honor, I am asking for a proper punishment for the defendant so that the family’s hearts can be even a little more at ease. I rest my case.’’

  
‘’Defence, please give your closing statement.’’

  
Lawyer Kang gave Yunhyeong an encouraging nod before standing and proceeding to the middle.

 ‘’On the night of the murder, the defendant was visiting the club with his coworkers with the purpose of consuming alcohol and having harmless fun. As he was making his leave, the defendant found the victim’s wallet and took it with him in a meaning to return it to her. However he ended up finding the victim lying unconscious and tried to wake her up, unaware of her state. The witnesses that found the two admit that they never saw the defendant squeezing the victim’s neck, which is because his hand was on her to see if she had a pulse.

 ‘’As there is no footage of the act itself, it also can’t be proven that there wasn’t a third person present before the defendants arrival to the scene. This is something that can’t be ignored, your honor. Also, the facts that the defendant forgot his own wallet and that the victim had previously approached the defendant are purely coincidental. The defendant is proven to have no aggressive or violent background, and he wasn’t holding grudges against the victim after the situation that unfolded between them. I hope that you won’t make the mistake of sentencing an innocent man for murder, your honor. The actual culprit is still out there and needs to be brought to the court. I rest my case.’’

  
  
  
  
‘’I realized something yesterday.’’

 ‘’Hm? What’s that?’’

 Yunhyeong looked up at Donghyuk’s face through the glass. He smiled faintly. ‘’We had our fourth anniversary a while ago. Both of us forgot about it.’’

 Donghyuk blinked. Then he swallowed and also smiled. ‘’We didn’t go to Han river this time,’’ he said softly.

 ‘’We’ll go next year.’’

 ‘’Promise?’’

 Yunhyeong’s gaze dropped again. ‘’...I truly hope so.’’

 He heard the younger male sigh.

 ‘’Donghyuk,’’ he called. ‘’If the verdict says that I’m guilty-’’

 ‘’Please don’t.’’

 Yunhyeong looked at Donghyuk who was gazing down. ‘’Dong, we have to face the facts.’’

 ‘’If the verdict says that you’re guilty, if the court and the whole nation… even if the whole _world_ saw you as a murderer, that still wouldn’t change my mind. I know you didn’t do it, there’s not even a slightest suspicion that you could…’’ Donghyuk swallowed hard, his shoulders tensing as he took a deep inhale.

 As the older realized that he was too close to crying to continue, Yunhyeong spoke. ‘’That’s good. Honestly, at this point, it is pretty much the only thing that matters for me.’’

 Donghyuk wiped a tear dropping onto his cheek, eyes still not meeting with the other’s. ‘’So don’t say what you’re about to say. Don’t tell me to move on with my life and that you’re going to be alright or something like that. Just don’t. I am not going to. If you really go to jail, I’m going to do anything to get you out. I’ll prove your innocence. I am not going to give up until your name is cleared.’’

 Yunhyeong tried to swallow the lump in his throat. ‘’How could you know exactly what I was about to say…’’ he chuckled dryly.

 ‘’I know you so well, that’s how,’’ Donghyuk finally met eyes with him. ‘’I know that even in a situation like this you’re thinking about me rather than yourself. You’ve always been that way, so good to others. That’s why I fell in love with you years ago.’’

 ‘’Donghyuk, I…’’

 ‘’I still love you the same. I love you so much, Yunhyeong. They can’t take you away from me that easily without a fight.’’

 Yunhyeong really put all his effort into trying to control his emotions, but ended up failing, pressing his head as tears starter flowing down his cheeks.

 ‘’There it is,’’ Donghyuk said with an audible smile. ‘’I can’t believe you’ve been avoiding crying in front of me all this time. As if you could fool me that you’re alright.’’

 He tried to speak, but his words got stuck to his throat. He sobbed silently, not daring to look up and face his boyfriend in that state. He was aware that it was stupid, Donghyuk wasn’t a child and knew very well that Yunhyeong was having a hard time. But he had always been the more rational and calmer one in their relationship, he was also the older one, therefore he always felt he had to be strong for his boyfriend.

 ‘’Donghyuk…’’ he said brokenly.

 ‘’Yeah?’’

 ‘’Just… I love you.’’

 ‘’I know.’’

  
  
  
  
Yunhyeong was found guilty. He was sentenced to 35 years prison.

 Which would be pretty obvious by now, after all he was having this flashback in that bus with handcuffs around his wrists.

The guy sitting behind him was still mumbling to himself, and Yunhyeong listened, realizing that he and the man had same opinion about the shittyness of South Korea’s justice system.

 

 The bus arrived to Seobu Penitentiary, the inmates being lead inside the building in a neat line. Yunhyeong hadn’t missed the huge text on the wall, saying something inspirational about being a better person, which really didn’t bring his mood up.

 Once inside he had to give in all his personal belongings, an officer marking them down.

 ‘’They will be returned to you once you’re released,’’ he had said.

  _Great,_ Yunhyeong had thought. _I can’t wait to wear my Rolex again in 2053._

  
Soon after Yunhyeong found himself sitting inside a room full of chairs, a see-through box in his hands and waiting. He looked at the prison clothes folded at the top, trying to decide if they were green, brown or gray. On the chest of the shirt was his prisoner number, 7179. Yunhyeong sighed.

  
After going through an utterly humiliating body search and changing into the clothes, he was walking through the hallways towards his cell, two officers as his companions, carrying the box in his hands. Once he got into the cell block, the realization suddenly hit him as he passed by some bar covered windows with vicious looking big men looking at him.

  _You know what happens to pretty boys in prison._

 A sentence he had heard many times during his life in television echoed inside his head. Yunhyeong swallowed. He _was_ a pretty boy in prison.

  
They went up a block of stairs and soon after he saw two more officers waiting in front of one of the cells.

 ‘’You can leave your shoes here,’’ one of them said kindly, nodding towards a low shelf at his feet. Yunhyeong removed his simple white sneakers and set them neatly to an empty space. He counted quickly, and saw there were four other pairs.

Once he straightened up again, the officer took his key card and used it to open the light blue colored door to the cell. Inhaling deep, Yunhyeong walked in.

  
The cell was a simple room with a light wooden floor. The walls - color sort of matching with the inmates’ clothes - were covered with something looking like informative posters with lots of text in them, on the right side there were open cabinets, most of them already occupied, and a small television. At the furthest corner there was a small booth with wall made of glass from one meter and above, which Yunhyeong reasoned to be the bathroom. On the opposite wall from the door there was a small window, raindrops falling on the glass behind a row or bars.

 

The cell door closed behind him, and as Yunhyeong saw his new cellmates, all the frightening delusions he had drawn in his mind shattered to pieces.

 They looked quite… delicate. At least compared to those thugs he had seen on his way there.

 There were indeed four other men. They were all sitting down, staring at him except for the one sitting at the back in front of a low table, writing something to a notebook.

 ‘’Remember what I just told you, okay? _Behave._ Don’t bully the new guy,’’ an officer said behind him to his cellmates. Footsteps were then heard leaving.

 One of the men, who had been crouching down with his back leaning against a wall, followed the officers leaving with his gaze before standing. He walked towards Yunhyeong, eyebrows raised in almost threatening way, his tongue playing inside his mouth as he stopped in front of the newcomer.

 ‘’Welcome to Seobu,’’ he said. ‘’Or rather, welcome to cell 7A5.’’ The guy tilted his head and looked at Yunhyeong from head to toe.

 ‘’I am the leader in here, and I’ll be watching you for the time being. Here we have strict rules which you have to follow carefully as the newbie, got that? If you disobey we w- Ah!!’’ the guy’s words were interrupted by a yelp of surprise as he was hit on the back of his head with a book.

 Yunhyeong’s eyes widened, just staring at the situation in front of him.

 Another cellmate who had also stood rolled his eyes as the man collapsed onto his butt, holding his head.

 ‘’Literally 10 seconds after what Lieutenant Kwon said…You fucking douchebag,’’ the other guy sighed before looking up at Yunhyeong as flashing him a smile that exposed his crooked front teeth. ‘’Sorry about that. Don’t mind the weirdo, he’s just saying stuff. We don’t have any leaders around here.’’

 ‘’...Oh..?’’ Yunhyeong could only blink as his head was trying to keep up with what was going on.

 ‘’Oh my god, why would you reveal that?’’ the man on the floor whined and slapped the crook-tooth’s leg. ‘’It would have been so fun if he had thought that way!’’

 The man sitting at the table finally turned his head and gave Yunhyeong an uninterested glance, then returned back to his notebook.

 Yunhyeong just stood there, looking back and forth between the crook-tooth and the guy sitting on the floor, his hands still holding his box.

 ‘’Ah, you can put your stuff to one of those empty cabinets there,’’ the crook-tooth motioned towards the side of the cell.

 ‘’Oh… Yes,’’ Yunhyeong mumbled still confused as hell, nodding his head at the guy, concluding that a bow would have been too much. He unsurely made his way to the cabinets, getting down to push the box into one of the unoccupied lockers.

 ‘’I can’t believe you hit me with a book. A hard fucking cover!’’ he heard the fake-leader complain.

 ‘’That’s what you get for being an asshole,’’ crook-tooth said back.

 As he turned his head, Yunhyeong saw another guy sitting near the cabinets, an open book in his hands.

 ‘’Hi,’’ he said as their eyes met.

 ‘’Hello,’’ Yunhyeong answered silently.

 ‘’What’s your name?’’

 ‘’...Yunhyeong.’’

 ‘’I’m Chanwoo,’’ the guy nodded, turning his head towards the others. ‘’The lunatic one is Hanbin,’’ he told, using his foot to point at the man who was still rubbing the back of his head.

 ‘’Who’s a lunatic!’’ Hanbin protested.

 ‘’That’s Bobby,’’ Chanwoo continued, unbothered, as his foot now pointed at the crook-tooth who had sat back down and gave Yunhyeong a raise of hand as a greeting flashing another smile. Yunhyeong bowed his head.

 ‘’And that’s June,’’ the foot pointed now towards the guy who was sitting by himself with his notebook and ignored the rest of them. Yunhyeong suddenly realized that the guy wasn’t wearing a long sleeved shirt like he had first thought, instead June’s arms were covered in dark tattoos up till his wrists. He also saw some peeking from under the collar of the man’s white t-shirt.

 ‘’First time in jail?’’ Bobby questioned with a raise of brows.

 ‘’Well.. Yeah,’’ Yunhyeong nodded his head.

 ‘’Could tell. It’s going to be hard for you during the first few days, I’m gonna be honest. But we’ve all been there, you’ll eventually get used to things around here. If you have any questions you can ask me or Chanwoo. Sure, Hanbin’s here too, but he’s a little… never mind. And him, well...’’ the man tilted his head towards June’s direction. ‘’Most of the time you won’t even notice he’s here.’’

 ‘’Alright,’’ Yunhyeong nodded before swallowing. ‘’Thanks.’’

‘’Go on,’’ Hanbin said to Bobby with a challenging gaze. ‘’He’s a little _what_?’’

‘’Mischievous. I was going to say mischievous,’’ Bobby answered while opening his book again.

‘’You were going to say dumb, weren’t you?’’

‘’I’d have no reason to say such a thing.’’

 Yunhyeong could then hear Chanwoo sigh as the two continued their squabble and turned to look at him again.

 Chanwoo returned the gaze, attempted a small smile and gave a nod.

 

‘’Well, Hanbin already sort of said this but… Welcome to Seobu Penitentiary.’’


	2. Novice prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (GD as Lieutenant Kwon  
> Officer Lee as an oc  
> Seunghoon as the errand boy)

Yunhyeong spent the evening following his arrival mostly by sitting still and getting absorbed watching his cellmates as they followed their everyday routines.

It seemed that the inmates didn’t talk to each other much as they were all occupied with their own things. Only Hanbin seemed a little restless compared to others, not really settling for anything specific and just wabbling around.

No words were exchanged before June suddenly shut his notebook and got up to pull out something from on top of a square shaped dresser placed under the small window. The man proceeded to lay a set of floor mattresses in the middle of the room and then brought covers and pillows on top of them.

‘’June,’’ Bobby called as the man was finishing up with the task.

‘’Huh?’’

‘’You put only four. It’s five of us now.’’

June slowly raised his head to look at Yunhyeong before looking back at the four mattresses. Then he looked at Yunhyeong again. ‘’Ah,’’ he finally nodded slowly before getting the remaining mattress from on top of the dresser. After placing the fifth set of bedding on the floor June turned to look at Bobby as if for approval.

‘’Yes. Well done,’’ Bobby said softly with a nod.

That was when Hanbin stepped out of the bathroom booth, stretching out his arms.

‘’Awesome guys work out,’’ he announced to no one in particular while making his way to where Bobby was sitting with his book. After rubbing his palms together Hanbin got onto his hands and brought his feet up against the wall.

‘’One,’’ he counted as did the first push up. Bobby glanced at him unconcernedly before flipping another page.

‘’T-tw-’’ Hanbin stuttered as he got down again, huffing heavily as his arms began to tremble. In the next second he collapsed down loudly, his other leg landing on Bobby’s lap and slamming the book down from his hands. The other man closed his eyes momentarily and gave a soundless sigh.

‘’I’ll be awesome tomorrow, then.’’

‘’For fuck’s sake...’’ Bobby groaned and shoved Hanbin’s foot off him before standing. He walked across the room to place the book to a cabinet, Hanbin staring after him with squinted eyes and pursed lips.

‘’Everyone to your cells!’’ A loud call echoed through the hall outside. It sort of woke Yunhyeong up from his trance and he finally discarded his gaze from his cellmates. Sighing to himself, the man brought his hands up to rub his face.

_One day down. 12 765 more to go._

‘’Hey. Yunhyeong, right?’’

Lifting his head, he saw Bobby looking at him and sitting now on one of the mattresses.

‘’Right,’’ he nodded.

‘’You hanging in there?’’

‘’At least for now,’’ Yunhyeong replied and allowed himself to smile at the man. Bobby smiled back and nodded.

‘’You’ll be alright, I’m sure. The fact you haven’t flipped out during your first evening is a good sign. And tomorrow will be better already. Right, Hanbin? Tomorrow will be a brand new day,’’ Bobby’s words got addressed to Hanbin midway when the man crawled his way to the mattresses.

‘’A brand new day to kick June’s ass!’’

The next second the said man exited the bathroom with a towel on his shoulders. ‘’If you’re not too tired to get another beating, I am here already.’’

‘’No, both of you shut up,’’ Bobby ordered, his voice suddenly sounding tired.

‘’Bring it on you brat!’’ Hanbin defied and attempted to stand, only to be pulled down by Bobby.

‘’Why do you always have to provoke him like that when you know you lose _every goddamn time?!_ ’’ the man bemoaned as he kept Hanbin in place with arms around his waist. It didn’t stop the other from kicking his legs towards June who walked closer with his fists in front of him like a boxer.

Yunhyeong only stared. Then he slowly turned towards Chanwoo who was still unbothered by the others with his book. ‘’So this is what it’s gonna be like in here?’’

Chanwoo glanced at the trio and then nodded at Yunhyeong. ‘’Exactly. It’s the third time this week those two take up a fight.’’

‘’...But isn’t it only Wednesday?’’

‘’Yep.’’

‘’Did you study today?’’ Bobby asked, suddenly appearing to sit down across from Chanwoo, apparently given up with the two that were now wrestling in the middle of the mattresses.

‘’I did.’’

‘’When? I didn’t see you study once during the day.’’

‘’I really did! After we came back from exercising,’’ Chanwoo claimed and the other man gave him a suspecting squint.

A pillow came flying towards their direction from the ongoing battle, hitting Bobby on the back of his head. The man gave no reaction to that, however.

‘’You spend all your time reading all these fiction books when you could read something that educates you.’’

‘’That stuff is boring, I’ve already told you,’’ Chanwoo whined.

Yunhyeong felt a small smile creeping to his lips again as he watched the two. They seemed sweet towards each other.

‘’June and Hanbin knock it off,’’ a new voice suddenly called from outside the cell, where Yunhyeong saw a guard standing behind a bar-covered window. ‘’You may love each other dearly but at least consider your fellow cellmates when displaying your affection.’’

‘’I am sorry Lieutenant Kwon,’’ June said while holding Hanbin in a tight headlock, the other male kicking his legs frantically and waving his hands to find something to grab onto. ‘’But I love this man _so much_ that I just want to hug him to death.’’

‘’Off!’’

The second order finally had some effect as June released Hanbin from his grip, rolling his eyes and getting back up.

‘’All of you get ready for bed,’’ the guard said before continuing his round.

‘’Study more tomorrow, alright?’’

‘’Yeah yeah.’’

Yunhyeong watched how Bobby and Chanwoo got up to walk over to where Hanbin had already wrapped himself into the covers.

‘’I was winning at the beginning,’’ he informed Bobby who laid down next to him at the far end.

‘’That’s great.’’

Chanwoo set down on the other side of Hanbin and June made his way next to him. It meant that Yunhyeong’s spot was at the other end. He got up and walked over to lay down on the mattress. The second his head landed on the pillow, Yunhyeong knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

 

A little later a podcast started playing through the speakers in the hall, a woman with a soft and calming voice speaking about forgiveness and new beginnings. Yunhyeong listened, the words not making much of an impact on him.

_‘’And now, shall we finish the day with a soothing melody? Tonight’s song is Like A Dream. Good night, everyone.’’_

Soon after the cell was filled with a sound of heavy, stable breathing as the inmates fell asleep. Only Yunhyeong remained wide awake, laying on his back.

He really was in jail now, living with criminals. Sure, the four’s first impressions hadn’t turned out to be very threatening, but they were still in there for breaking the law. Yunhyeong had no idea of what kinds of sins they had committed, and he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to even know. What if one of them was a murderer, a rapist, a robber…

Yunhyeong shivered. What he knew for sure was that he wasn’t going to reveal why he was in there. For as long as he could. Who would believe him in prison if he were to tell that he was an innocent man sentenced for murder? Literally no one.

His mind wandered back to the day the verdict had been read, to when he had been sitting inside the courtroom next to lawyer Kang as they were waiting for the judge.

 

‘’Lawyer Kang,’’ he had said. ‘’I just want to tell this before the verdict is out… If it turns out to be what we don’t wish for, I don’t blame you for that. You’ve done so much for me and I’m really grateful. There’s nothing you could’ve done any better.’’

His lawyer had nodded slowly, smiling as usual, and given Yunhyeong a pat on his back.

‘’I am glad you think that way. Also, I want to let you know that you’ve really got me convinced of your innocence. Even if the judge sends you to prison, there will be a retrial for certain. Sooner or later, I will make sure of that. Therefore don’t lose hope, alright?’’

 

  
_Easy to say for someone who isn’t going to be locked up,_ Yunhyeong thought with a soundless sigh.

And like every single night ever since this all had begun, Yunhyeong thought about Donghyuk. Was he getting enough sleep? Did he eat properly? Was he worrying over him, lying awake just like him right now?

Each time Yunhyeong closed his eyes, he hoped to see the younger man laying next to him as he opened them again and realize that everything had been just a nightmare. But instead, next to him was only a strongly tattooed man, throwing his arm onto his torso from time to time in his slumber, Yunhyeong each time removing it gently.

 

His first night in Seobu would always be the longest one during his entire lifetime.

Slowly the sky outside the window started turning lighter. When the speakers outside finally started to play a slow-tempo melody, Yunhyeong got surprised by the way all four of his cellmates got up instantly without a single sign of weariness.

Bobby walked straight to the bathroom, the three others forming a line after him. Hanbin, obviously the sleepiest one of them, smacked his lips as he leaned up against June’s back wrapping his arms around the man’s body. The following second he was on the floor holding his head that had received a hit.

Yunhyeong also got up, not feeling as tired as he should, and decided that he should start doing things around the cell. He collected the covers, folded them neatly and walked over to set them on top of the drawers. When he turned he almost collided with Bobby who had collected the pillows. The man gave him a grin.

‘’How was your first night?’’

‘’Not a luxury,’’ Yunhyeong answered honestly and scratched the back of his neck as he made his way to gather the mattresses.

Bobby gave a laugh. ‘’Oh well. I was prepared to listen you blubbering through the night but it seems that you’re one of the quiet dudes.’’

Yunhyeong gave him a look and raised a brow. Bobby shrugged, running a hand through his hair. ‘’You just kinda look like a spoiled kid. You come from a rich family, right? It radiates from you.’’

He didn’t answer, just swallowed timidly before carrying the mattresses on top of the dresser. Yunhyeong didn’t consider prison to be an appropriate place to discuss family backgrounds thus he was reluctant to answer the man’s question. He tensed slightly as he felt Bobby’s hand giving his hair a quick ruffle.

‘’Just fucking around with ya.’’

 

‘’So basically, they have this roll call each morning. Like, to check that anyone hasn’t disappeared overnight,’’ Chanwoo explained.

‘’How could anyone even escape from here? It’s not like we’re in an American movie setting,’’ Hanbin stated while picking his ear using his pinky.

‘’I see,’’ Yunhyeong nodded at Chanwoo. ‘’So what do I need to say?’’

‘’Since you’re the last, you have to say ‘five, end’. That’s it,’’ Bobby replied. They were all sitting in a row in the middle of the cell facing the hallway, all of them cross legged except for June who was sitting with his legs spread wide and leaning back against his hands.

Yunhyeong supposed that they were sitting in order of arrival to the cell. It was also the same as the arrangement they had slept in. It meant that among them, Bobby had arrived first followed by Hanbin, then Chanwoo with June preceding Yunhyeong.

 

Soon he heard speaking from the neighboring cell, and not long afterwards two guards appeared in front of theirs.

‘’Next up, our dear 7A5. Let’s hear it.’’

‘’One.’’

‘’Two.’’

‘’Three.’’

‘’Four.’’

‘’Five, end.’’

‘’Thank you, carry on. Oh, wait…’’ the other guard stopped after making a move to proceed, eyes on his file. ‘’Song Yunhyeong, you’re the new one. How has it been so far? The others haven’t been hard on you, right?’’

‘’Ah, yes. It’s been... livable,’’ Yunhyeong answered.

‘’Well that’s a relief indeed. Remember that I’m still watching you all,’’ the quard said to his cellmates, squinting his eyes at them.

‘’Officer Lee, you already know that you’re the last person we want to disappoint around here!’’ Bobby said with an affectionate smile. The guard returned it.

‘’Mm, I know,’’ he nodded before moving on to the next cell.

‘’Officer Lee is our favorite,’’ Chanwoo said to Yunhyeong as the others got up. ‘’He’s probably the nicest corrections officer of this country.’’

A few moments later the low table was moved to the middle, and five sets of plastic utensils along with plastic bowls were set on it. Hanbin sat down in front of the door as the hatch on it opened, several containers of food given in through it and he handed them over to the others sitting around the table.

‘’Ooh, what do we have here?’’ a voice called and after turning his head Yunhyeong saw a man clutching onto the bars with a wide smile. ‘’I was so worried when I heard someone would move into this cell and could ruin the aesthetics! But turns out, the new guy is the most handsome among you all!’’

He then noticed Bobby leaning forward, his hand at the side of his face to cover it from the guy outside. ‘’Do not give him any reaction,’’ he said lowly.

Yunhyeong blinked confusedly, glancing at the dude still smiling brightly and then at his cellmates who were now all staring at him almost threateningly. He cleared his throat and decided to just lower his head.

‘’Oh well, you know, I keep on praying every night that I could be transferred to live with you guys! Wouldn’t that be just ama-’’

‘’For fuck’s sake don’t you have food to serve?’’ Hanbin suddenly snapped. ‘’Off you go.’’

‘’Hmm, I do indeed. Eat well, my loves!’’ Yunhyeong could still hear the smile in his voice.

‘’...What was that about?’’ he dared to ask after the guy had left.

‘’That was the errand boy. Basically, there’s nothing wrong with him, he just…’’ Bobby shrugged. ‘’He never shuts up.’’

‘’Ah…’’ Yunhyeong gave a slow nod. ‘’So is he one of the inmates as well?’’

‘’Yep. The long-time inmates with high merit points can apply for opportunity to run errands around their wing,’’ Chanwoo said. ‘’It’s a really great deal, you have more freedom and raise your chances for a parole, for example. Even get your sentence shortened.’’

Yunhyeong nodded again. _Must be nice._

The others were already filling their bowls and starting to eat. Yunhyeong did the same before he noticed from the corner of his eye how Bobby leaned forward, pressing his palms together in a quiet prayer. None of the others paid attention to that, but Yunhyeong saw a better manner to stop what he was doing until the man was finished.

 

The prison food wasn’t very sumptuous kind. The rice felt a little too sticky in his mouth and nothing had much of a taste. But well, it was a prison after all, and Yunhyeong ate without complaints.

As he had finished what his small appetite allowed him to devour, Yunhyeong looked up at the wall, noticing a bunch of drawings attached to it.

Bobby soon followed his gaze. ‘’My son drew those,’’ he told.

Yunhyeong raised his brows curiously. ‘’You have a son?’’

‘’I have. Siyoon is on his fir- No, he’s already starting third grade soon,’’ Bobby gazed up thoughtfully. ‘’Time really flies.’’

‘’Oh?’’ Yunhyeong blinked. ‘’You must’ve been quite young when you had him. I mean, you don’t look like you’re even past your twenties.’’

‘’You got that right. My wife and I were only one foot into adulthood when Siyoon got his start. I am a man of God, therefore I don’t believe anyone is an accident but he was, well… unplanned,’’ Bobby smiled widely. ‘’The best things can’t be planned ahead, I guess.’’

Yunhyeong smiled back. The immediate glimpse of happiness in Bobby’s eyes when talking about his son was enough to make his heart feel warm.

‘’The poor thing doesn’t even know his dad is in jail,’’ Hanbin suddenly said, mouth full of food.

‘’Yeah, for his own good. He sends me letters and drawings thinking that I’m in the States for a job. We even have phone calls from time to time,’’ Bobby gave a shrug. ‘’But my wife and I saw better to have it that way.’’

Yunhyeong nodded, understanding. ‘’So, a wife too?’’

‘’Yea, what a show off, right?’’ Hanbin scoffed. Bobby just gave him a smirk.

‘’Married since the age of 19. What about you? Got someone special in your life?’’ the man inquired, making a smile rise on Yunhyeong’s lips again.

‘’Yes. We’re currently on our 5th year together.’’

The way Hanbin dropped his chopsticks with a sigh and roll of his eyes was exceedingly dramatic.

‘’Nice,’’ Bobby nodded.

Yunhyeong’s eyes then went back to the wall and the drawings on it. He frowned slightly as he watched the ones on the far right.

‘’Aren’t those… quite harsh themed for a child?’’ he asked and Bobby turned his head towards the pictures.

‘’Ah, no. The ones without colors are June’s. He got jealous because Siyoon’s art was on display and his wasn’t.’’

‘’Huh?’’ Yunhyeong blinked and turned to look at June, seeing the man looking back with an expectant face. ‘’Oh… They are… very nice, indeed.’’

‘’Thank you,’’ June said.

‘’Ah, by the way,’’ Hanbin suddenly leaned closer towards him. ‘’Why is a guy like you in jail? What did you do?’’

Almost choking on his spit, Yunhyeong coughed once and only lowered his gaze as an answer.

‘’You did drugs, didn’t you?’’

‘’Hanbin, shut up. You’re under no obligation to tell us if you don’t want to, it’s alright,’’ Bobby uttered softly.

‘’Oh my god, Bobby. You’re so fucking lame.’’

Yunhyeong was unanimously chosen to clean up after they had finished eating. Chanwoo had offered to help him with that, though. June retreated back to his corner with his notebook, Bobby set down to continue his book with Hanbin using his thigh as a pillow and just laying still, no one really being sure if he was actually asleep.

Yunhyeong had never been really that into reading, but obviously he didn’t have much of a choice on how to keep himself entertained. Therefore he settled down with a book Chanwoo recommended for him to read.

 

‘’7A5, exercise,’’ a sudden command was heard some time during the afternoon as Officer Lee opened the cell door.

The exercise area was a fairly wide fenced space outdoors with a running track in the middle and inmates from several wings wandering around. June separated from the rest almost immediately, the four taking over one of the benches further back.

 

‘’Now that I look closely, you two actually look quite alike.’’

Both Yunhyeong and Chanwoo turned at Bobby who was sitting on top of the backrest of the bench.

‘’Oh? They do, actually,’’ Hanbin nodded, staring at them while crouching down on the ground.

The two looked at each other. ‘’No we don’t!’’ Yunhyeong and Chanwoo said at the same time, making Bobby snicker.

‘’Woah, what’s this?’’ he asked and brought his hand to his mouth. ‘’A story in which twins separated at birth find each other in jail?’’

‘’Goosebumps,’’ Hanbin gasped.

Chanwoo glared at Yunhyeong who was sitting at the edge of the bench. ‘’We don’t,’’ he said silently.

‘’I agree,’’ Yunhyeong whispered back.

He then turned his head, raising his brows curiously when in a distance he saw an inmate almost panickedly grabbing his fellow by the shoulder and pulling him out of someone’s way. Yunhyeong’s expression turned even more confused when a man stepped to his view. A noticeably short and almost delicate looking man. He was wearing his inmate clothes like a fashion outfit with his sleeves and trouser legs slightly rolled up. All the other inmates around him nearly leaped further as he proceeded along the area, glancing around in a quite lordy manner.

‘’Who’s that?’’ Yunhyeong asked.

‘’Oh, him?’’ the smirk was audible in Bobby’s voice. ‘’That’s Kim Jinhwan.’’

‘’ _The_ Kim Jinhwan,’’ Hanbin tilted his head slightly. ‘’The guy is like a celebrity around here. The case he was involved in was that famous.’’

‘’Which case?’’ Yunhyeong looked over at him curiously.

‘’You remember in 2015 when the prime minister’s daughter was kidnapped?’’

‘’Of course I do. That thing was covered worldwide!’’ Yunhyeong raised his brows and turned back to look at the short man. ‘’So he was involved in _that_?’’

‘’Yeah, well… He wasn’t one of those who planned it or carried it out. He however was present where the daughter was held, therefore the court saw him as an accomplice,’’ Bobby explained.

‘’An accomplice? So what’s so great about him, then?’’

The way the three flinched as if having touched a hot stove made his eyes widen a bit in surprise.

‘’Do not say something like that so that he could hear you. Jinhwan would rip your guts out,’’ Hanbin huffed with a shake of his head.

‘’Yeah, the dude may look tiny but his ego makes up for the physical lack,’’ Bobby told. ‘’Most of the fellas around here are pretty scared of him. He’s definitely someone you don’t wanna fuck with.’’

‘’Figuratively.’’

All four of them slowly turned around towards the voice to see June standing behind them, leaning back against the fence and gazing over at Jinhwan with a dreamy-like expression on his face. A few seconds passed before he snapped out of it, blinked and saw the four just silently staring at him. Clearing his throat, June straightened up and gazed around before walking away without a word.

‘’Woah... when did he even get there? So creepy,’’ Chanwoo shook his head slowly.

‘’...Moving on,’’ Bobby sighed deep, his lips forming a thin line.

Hanbin got up from his position and stretched his body a little. ‘’Excuse me gentlemen, I’m off to make some business now.’’

The three watched as he then jogged across the yard, passing Jinhwan on his way. The action was very slight and hard to see, but the two’s hands grazed against each other, something being exchanged during the action. Jinhwan quickly glanced around before putting something to his pocket.

‘’Jinhwan is also a dealer,’’ Bobby said, most likely assuming that Yunhyeong was about to ask anyway. ‘’He gets some forbidden stuff from outside. For example, Hanbin and June buy cigarettes from him.’’

‘’Transportation cards are used as currency in here. One card is loaded with ten thousand won. You get one cigarette with that amount. All that stuff is damn expensive in jail,’’ Chanwoo explained.

‘’I’m glad I don’t smoke then,’’ Yunhyeong said with a tilt of his head.

 

With their conversation, none of them had paid attention to an inmate who had been staring at Yunhyeong from across the yard ever since he had arrived. They all had missed how he picked something from the ground before circling around the area and slowly approaching their bench.

They didn’t even notice the man when he was standing right next to Yunhyeong.

‘’Hey, you.’’

Yunhyeong didn’t even manage to turn his head fully towards the voice when a strong sharp pain at his temple clouded his senses. He fell off the bench, holding his hand over the spot that had just taken a hit. Chanwoo and Bobby shot up, staring at them with wide eyes.

‘’I’ve been waiting to see your face around here, you bastard!’’ The man spat and managed to kick Yunhyeong on the abdomen before the first guards got there and yanked him back. ‘’Wanted to give a little feedback on what you did.’’

There was a total mayhem going on around him only seconds later, several commands from guards being heard as they tried to keep the man off Yunhyeong who was curling up on the ground. With the inmate’s big size, it took several men to keep him in place.

‘’Do you guys even know who he is?’’ he could hear the man speak loudly. ‘’He’s the club strangling bastard! Made me so fucking mad because the woman he killed is the same age as my daughter. Motherfucker should’ve been sent straight to the death row!’’

‘’Song Yunhyeong, get up,’’ Officer Lee’s voice called from right next to him. A frown formed on the man’s face when he saw the red trails of blood trickling down from between Yunhyeong’s fingers. ‘’What-’’

Officer Lee got up, marching over to the giant inmate and grabbed his wrist to see the rough edged rock in his hold. ‘’Insane bastard! Take him away from here, quickly!’’ he ordered before returning back to Yunhyeong, dragging him up from the ground.

‘’Let’s take him to infirmary.’’

 

  
‘’You are extremely lucky. If the hit had been even a little stronger, you could’ve suffered some serious injuries. The angle must have softened the impact.’’

Yunhyeong sat still as the medic in white coat patched up the wound on his temple. He kept his eyes straight ahead and didn’t speak.

‘’Fortunately, it seems that the damage is only external.’’

Soon after the medic was done and retreated back in his chair. ‘’As for now, follow your own condition closely. If you feel anything out of ordinary, dizziness or nausea for example, please let the guards know immediately.’’

‘’I understand. Thank you,’’ Yunhyeong answered.

‘’Sure. You are good to go now.’’

As Yunhyeong stood, he gave the white coated man a formal bow before approaching Officer Lee who was waiting at the side.

‘’That guy must be a total lunatic. How could he hit someone with a- Woah…’’ Officer Lee gabbled as they were making their way to the cell block. ‘’But don’t you worry, this issue won’t be taken lightly. The guy will spend a good while in the hole for this.’’

‘’Hole?’’ Yunhyeong asked.

‘’Ah, meaning solitary confinement,’’ Officer Lee smiled kindly. ‘’Also, I am going to make sure you two won’t have to face each other ever again here in Seobu. If the warden won’t do anything about it, then I will personally take care of that. Because I can. And surely will.’’

Yunhyeong then saw the guard whom his cellmates had addressed as Lieutenant Kwon approaching them from across the hallway. They both stopped, Officer Lee giving the man a salute as he got to them. Lieutenant Kwon brought up his truncheon to tap it gently on Officer Lee’s shoulder.

‘’Go get changed. You can’t go to the cell block looking like that,’’ he said, addressing the few droplets of blood on Officer Lee’s shirt that he had got while helping Yunhyeong to the infirmary. Also Yunhyeong’s prisoner shirt had got smudged, but he had already gotten rid of that and he was wearing only the white t-shirt he wore under it. ‘’I’ll handle it from here.’’

‘’Yes, Lieutenant Kwon,’’ the other guard said formally. He gave Yunhyeong a quick smile as he turned to leave.

Lieutenant Kwon wasn’t smiling. He only stared at him for a moment without a word.

‘’Let’s go.’’

Yunhyeong arrived to the cell block following the man who walked with hands behind his back and twiddled the truncheon in his hold. Lieutenant Kwon glanced at him over his shoulder briefly.

‘’It’s only your first full day here. Quite unlucky I would say,’’ the man spoke. ‘’If I were you I would watch my back more carefully from now on.’’

Yunhyeong didn’t say anything. That moment, getting another beating wasn’t his biggest worry. Rather, he was worried about having to return to his cell now.

Because they knew now.

His mission of hiding his crime had turned out to be an utter failure.

He sighed silently as they reached his cell and Lieutenant Kwon opened the door. As he stepped in, he saw his cellmates - except for June - staring at him. The door closed, but no one moved or said anything, and Yunhyeong lowered his eyes. For a while they could’ve heard a pin drop.

‘’Are you o-’’

‘’Is it true?’’ Hanbin suddenly shot up, interrupting Bobby’s careful inquiry. ‘’Are you really that Gangnam strangler?’’

‘’Well…’’ Yunhyeong swallowed. _Honestly, don’t even bother. You’re a murderer now and that’s it. Learn to live with it._ ‘’Yeah.’’

‘’So a murder, huh? That’s why you’re in here?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

Yunhyeong didn’t look up until he heard Hanbin sigh.

‘’I am so… disappointed,’’ the man said, shaking his head.

Yunhyeong swallowed again, opening his mouth to say something.

‘’Fucking unfair!’’ Hanbin whined and suddenly collapsed on the floor onto his back.

‘’W-what?’’ Yunhyeong frowned confusedly.

‘’Don’t misunderstand, it’s just that we made a bet of which crime you committed. Hanbin was so sure that he was going to win by guessing you had something to do with drugs,’’ Bobby told with a shrug as Hanbin kicked his legs in frustration.

‘’Oh?’’ the man could only look at them dumbly. His mind went back to that noon when he had found the others gathering around and whispering something, but retreated as soon as Yunhyeong had stepped out of the bathroom.

‘’The winner wouldn’t have to do a single chore for a month. None of us won, though. Because Hanbin claimed the drugs I went for a financial fraud. Chanwoo guessed drunk driving. And June, well… he was a little more creative.’’

June turned from his notebook and straightened his back. ‘’I guessed you were an admin of a webpage for revenge porn.’’

Yunhyeong’s jaw cracked open.

June just smiled at him. ‘’It’s because you have a face of a pervert,’’ he said before returning to scribble.

Yunhyeong collapsed onto the floor, sitting there and watching how his cellmates went on with their own matters. ‘’So…’’ he said after a while. ‘’Aren’t you guys bothered about… what I did?’’

Bobby slowly lowered his book and looked up for a while. ‘’Well, it’s not our place to judge, since we’re all sinners here,’’ he shrugged. ‘’It’s none of our business really, and the fact that you’re here means that you’re making it up for the society, so... ‘’

‘’Also it’s not like you’re the only person in this cell who’s jailed for killing someone,’’ June stated, making Yunhyeong frown again.

‘’Enough talking for today, June. Shut the fuck up,’’ Bobby sighed.

‘’As if I was wrong…’’ June muttered back.

Yunhyeong exhaled heavily as a silence landed in the cell once again, staring at Hanbin who was still sulking while laying on his back in the middle of the floor.


	3. Four sins

They really didn’t seem to be bothered about his crime.

The day carried on with a way that Yunhyeong guessed was very customary, all of them immersed within their own matters.

 

And even though barely, Yunhyeong survived his first full day in prison alive. Time really seemed to fly behind bars because before he could even notice, it was becoming night again.

The stillness of the cell was finally broken by Bobby who got up stretching his body and proceeded to the bathroom for a washup. Yunhyeong and Chanwoo were sitting in front the cabinets, Chanwoo apparently being absorbed by something looking like a college textbook.

By the time June was finishing up with putting down the bedding, Bobby stepped out and stopped to stare at unsuspecting Chanwoo for a moment. He then marched forward, grabbing the textbook and yanking it from the man’s grip, revealing another book he had kept hiding between it.

‘’Aha! I knew that the view was too good to be true!’’

‘’What view?’’ Chanwoo tried to sound innocent but couldn’t hide the amusement from having his fraud partly succeeded.

‘’You little brat, why won’t you just study?’’ Bobby groaned in annoyance and attempted to gently swat the man with the textbook, Chanwoo shielding himself with his.

‘’I’m telling you, it’s hopeless! I don’t understand a thing it says,’’ Chanwoo excused, pointing at the book.

‘’Yeah right, what on Earth could be that diff…’’ Bobby scoffed but stopped in the middle of his sentence as he opened the book and eyed through the pages. He cleared his throat and set the textbook aside, avoiding to meet Chanwoo’s ‘ _told you so’_ face. ‘’Anyway… you clearly have had too much Hanbin around you, getting so sly.’’

‘’Oh wow. All I have been doing is laying here yet I still get blamed for something. There is no winning for Kim Hanbin, is there?’’

Yunhyeong, who had kept his eyes on the book page but focused on listening, looked up at the others briefly. Were these people cellmates or some weird form of a bickering family? He found himself smirking by himself.

 

Yunhyeong’s exhaustion from surviving through the day with no sleep could no longer be ignored as they called it a day, falling asleep first. He however woke up for several times during the night when he was either kicked or nudged by June who was fast asleep the entire time. Yunhyeong eventually ended up dragging his mattress further away from the man to be able to sleep without disturbance.

  
  
  
Yunhyeong sighed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The white patch on his temple was still there, much of a surprise. Normally he wouldn’t mind it being there, but today was his first visitation day. What were his parents going to say when they saw that? Or Donghyuk?

‘’Maybe you could say that you fell,’’ a voice said and he saw from the mirror how Chanwoo was leaning against the bathroom entrance.

‘’What kind of person falls down head first?’’ Yunhyeong raised a brow as he walked out of the booth. Chanwoo just shrugged with a pout.

‘’Or you can say how it is. You’re in prison, as a criminal, surrounded by other criminals. Sure there are guards everywhere but no one’s safety is 100% guaranteed,’’ Hanbin spoke while eating a choco pie and sitting against a wall.

‘’My dad has a weak heart, I don’t want him to be worried because of me,’’ Yunhyeong muttered as he sat down. ‘’It was enough that he saw me as I got punched across the face in the courtroom.’’

‘’You did?’’ Hanbin asked amusedly. Yunhyeong just rolled his eyes.

  
Eventually came the time when Officer Lee opened the cell door. ‘’Bobby, your wife is here. And Yunhyeong, you… Oh, a total of three people have come as your visitors,’’ he said while reading through the file in his hand.

Yunhyeong smiled, knowing very well who those three people were.

 

The visitation space was a small room, divided in half by a small table-like surface and a glass above it. Both sides had one chair, and Yunhyeong’s mother was seated on the one at the other side, Yunhyeong’s dad standing next to her. Donghyuk was there too, standing more at the back.

They were all smiling, only for a few seconds though, before his parents registered the patch on his temple.

 _‘’Visitation has begun. The duration is 10 minutes,’’_ a robotic voice announced from a small machine on the table.

‘’What is that?’’ Yunhyeong’s mom gasped before he had even fully seated himself.

‘’Who did that to you?’’ his dad questioned.

‘’It’s-’’

‘’When did you get that, huh?!’’

‘’I…’’ Yunhyeong tried to sound reassuring. ‘’I fell?’’

‘’No one falls head first, don’t lie to us,’’ his dad huffed.

_Thanks Chanwoo._

‘’It’s nothing to be worried about, this one guy just recognized me from the news and-’’

‘’Nothing to be worried about our son being abused in prison?’’ his mother shook her head. ‘’My poor baby shouldn’t be in there in the first place.’’

‘’I am not... abused in here, really. It was just this one occasion and now the guards are going to make sure he won’t get to me again,’’ Yunhyeong told, just wanting to get the topic somewhere else.

‘’What kind of guards let something like that happen to begin with?’’ his father frowned, shaking his head.

‘’Dad, please don’t get stressed over this. Your heart rate-’’

‘’Stop worrying about your father’s heart rate, already! You have worse things to worry about. Besides I am completely fine, you’re all acting like I am an old man.’’

‘’Mom, tell dad that he is an old man,’’ Yunhyeong looked at his mother pitifully. She sighed.

‘’Yunhyeong is right, honey. You shouldn’t get too strained,’’ his mother said softly to her husband before turning back to look at Yunhyeong. ‘’But how are things there? Do you get to eat enough? Have you slept well?’’

‘’It’s alright here, really. We get several meals a day and I’ve slept. My cellmates are okay too. They’ve been helping me adapt,’’ Yunhyeong told.

‘’That’s good at least,’’ his father spoke. ‘’You won’t have to stay in there for long, we will make sure of that. Lawyer Kang told that he will pay you a visit here shortly. I have transferred money to your commissary account, so make things there as comfortable as possible.’’

‘’Alright, dad. Thanks,’’ Yunhyeong nodded his head.

‘’Your sister wanted to be here as well, but we heard the highest allowed number of visitors at once is three, so…’’ Yunhyeong’s mom smiled. ‘’She’ll come next time.’’

‘’How is she doing?’’

‘’Studying very hard, still determined to beat your grades.’’

‘’Tell her I’m wishing her good luck with that,’’ Yunhyeong said, allowing his tone get a little cocky.

His mom chuckled lightly before she turned her head towards Donghyuk who had been silently standing at the back and letting Yunhyeong’s parents have their moment with him.

‘’As for now, we probably should leave to give young lovers some privacy. Ten minutes is such an awfully short time,’’ she said.

‘’Right, right. We shouldn’t use it all,’’ Yunhyeong’s father nodded as his wife stood. ‘’The court will soon realize they have convicted the wrong man, so hang in there until then, son. If there is anything I can do while you’re in there, all you need to do is ask.’’

Yunhyeong smiled and nodded his head.

‘’Take care my child, we’ll come again. I love you lots,’’ his mother smiled affectionately.

‘’You too, mom,’’ he said back before watching the two leave. His mother said something about waiting outside to Donghyuk who nodded his head with a smile before making his way to the chair. He didn’t speak and looked up at Yunhyeong only when he heard the door close behind him.

‘’So, for real now. How is it there?’’

Yunhyeong sighed. ‘’I didn’t have to sugarcoat it much, really. I expected much worse.’’

‘’Wasn’t it really a cellmate who did that to you?’’ Donghyuk raised his brows carefully.

‘’It wasn’t. My cellmates don’t seem very… threatening.’’

‘’How many?’’

‘’Four. They all seem to be quite close to my age… some are probably even younger,’’ Yunhyeong pouted thoughtfully.

Donghyuk chewed onto his lower lip and nodded slowly. ‘’Do you know what kind of criminals they are..?’’

‘’I still haven’t figured out how to ask. It could be insensitive.’’

‘’Insensitive. Of course, you’d be thinking about such things even now…’’

Yunhyeong watched how Donghyuk gazed down with a pitiful expression. ‘’Donghyuk. If you spend your days worrying over me I’m going to be really upset,’’ he said, making the younger man pout. ‘’I already said that it’s all fine here. So please, remember to focus on your own life as well.’’

Donghyuk slowly lifted his eyes to meet with Yunhyeong’s. His mouth formed a thin line and Yunhyeong watched him for a moment.

‘’That’s the best you can do? Is that your official ‘ _I won’t be worried for my boyfriend’_ face?’’ he asked and Donghyuk simply nodded. It was enough to make Yunhyeong smile. It was adorable. Donghyuk was adorable.

Gladly, Donghyuk smiled too. It always made the older’s heart feel lighter when he witnessed the man’s eyes form a pair of crescents and the small scrunch of his nose. Because for him, it meant that everything was alright. That simple expression on Donghyuk’s features was enough to tell him that.

‘’You went back to work right?’’ Yunhyeong then asked.

‘’Yeah, I did. Didn’t have much of a choice, I would’ve probably got kicked out of the agency if I hadn’t,’’ Donghyuk said with a shrug.

‘’Good, then. Also don’t spend too much time alone, alright? You should meet with your friends on the regular. I know you’ll end up worrying too much by yourself if you let your thoughts take over.’’

Yunhyeong’s words made the younger huff silently, and Donghyuk gave a sigh as he met with the other male’s questioning eyes.

‘’Friends, my ass. Most of them cut off all the contact ever since… what happened. I pretty much have only Hongseok left. And Chaeyoung.’’

‘’Then, spend time with Hongseok and Chaeyoung,’’ Yunhyeong said rather nonchalantly. ‘’It’s only an advantage to have the insincere people erased from your life.’’

‘’I suppose, Mr. Great philosopher.’’

Yunhyeong grinned. ‘’I’m pretty sure my parents also will be more than willing to have a substitute son around to pamper, so…’’

‘’Well, yeah, they’ve kind of been doing that for some while now,’’ Donghyuk gave a small chuckle.

‘’They’ve considered you as family ever since we got together, you know that, right?’’ Yunhyeong said with a smile. ‘’So don’t hesitate to turn to them if you need to.’’

‘’Okay,’’ Donghyuk said softly.

‘’ _You have one minute remaining,’’_ the machine suddenly announced after a short beep. The younger male sighed and hung his head slightly.

‘’So, it’s six visitations a month.’’

‘’For now. If I get my merit points up, they told me I can have them more frequently,’’ Yunhyeong uttered.

‘’That’s gonna take time, right?’’

‘’I guess. But we have an hour each month all together. That’s… twelve hours a year.’’

‘’Don’t go that far!’’ Donghyuk suddenly snapped, but the annoyance on his tone wasn’t serious.

Yunhyeong smiled, staring at his boyfriend as the male pouted.

‘’Just… don’t get in trouble. And watch your back, alright?’’

‘’Alright,’’ Yunhyeong said. He kept his eyes tightly on Donghyuk’s features, committing each detail to memory, so that he could make it until he could see the man again.

The younger met eyes with him again, swallowing before speaking. ‘’I love you.’’

‘’I love you too.’’

_‘’Your visitation has ended. Please exit for the next visitation to begin.’’_

 

  
  
  
‘’Bobby. Is that your real name?’’

The man turned his head towards Yunhyeong as the two were sitting at a bench at the exercise area, hands behind his head.

‘’Nah. That’s what people used to call me when I was living in Virginia. I flew to Korea after my brother died when I was 16. But I decided to keep that name, it’s easy to pronounce. My actual name is Jiwon, but that is kinda… yeah.’’

Yunhyeong nodded understandingly. The name was indeed quite common.

He was quiet for a while, fiddling his hands with his gaze down. ‘’You know, now that you all found out why I’m in here… I, uhh…’’

‘’Curious of what the rest of us did?’’ Bobby arched an eyebrow.

‘’Mmh,’’ Yunhyeong pursed his lips lightly and nodded.

‘’I mean sure, you’ll be living with us for quite a while, after all,’’ Bobby said surprisingly nonchalantly, and the other man looked over curiously.

Bobby’s eyes scanned around the yard, his gaze locking onto Hanbin once he spotted the man crouched down as he was talking with other inmates in a distance.

‘’To start off, Hanbin is a jailbird.’’

‘’Jail… bird?’’

‘’Someone who keeps on getting back to jail soon after being released. Roughly said, a person who can’t get a grip,’’ Bobby sighed and motioned his hand towards Hanbin. ‘’I mean you’ve seen him, the guy is helpless.’’

Yunhyeong pouted slightly. ‘’Is there a reason why he is like that?’’

Bobby sighed heavily. ‘’Apparently Hanbin’s parents kicked him out when he was a teen because he couldn’t do well in school. They still send money to his commissary account as if to pretend they have been the good guys all along. But you know, in a country like ours where one’s education is the only thing that matters, those who can’t study get swept under the rug. Those like Hanbin.

‘’I don’t believe prison is a good place for anyone, but at least here Hanbin has routines. He has a stable sleep rhythm, proper food, fresh air and people constantly surrounding him. He probably gets none of that outside. Yeah, I mean the guy irritates the crap out of me on a daily basis but I mostly feel bad for him.’’

‘’Now I feel bad for him, too. I had no idea,’’ Yunhyeong said, his heart feeling surprisingly heavy. ‘’What did he do this time?’’

‘’Escaped from cops. Under influence,’’ Bobby scratched the back of his neck. ‘’With a stolen car.’’

‘’That’s wild.’’

‘’Indeed. Idiot crashed into a lamppost and should be thankful for even being alive. But Hanbin isn’t grateful for pretty much anything.’’

The two stayed quiet for a moment before Yunhyeong broke the silence. ‘’What about June?’’ he asked, searching for the man with his eyes before seeing him.

‘’His exterior gives quite a hint. June was a gangster.’’

‘’For real?’’

‘’For real. I heard he used to be the right hand of an infamous gang boss. He was caught during a big fight police had caught a hint of. Apparently June was beating a guy with a metallic pipe when the cops seized him.’’

Images flashed through Yunhyeong’s mind, of June with his tattoos and eyes full of rage swinging a pipe as droplets of blood splashed across his face. He realized that the last detail might’ve been a little over the top and shook his thoughts off with a shiver.

‘’The dude didn’t die, though, so at least June didn’t get charged for killing anyone. But you know, assault and gang activity, that’s no light stuff,’’ Bobby shook his head.

‘’Are you sure he did that? I mean... ‘’ Yunhyeong shrugged innocently. ‘’He just… doesn’t seem like someone who could.’’

‘’What are you saying?’’

‘’I mean.. don’t you think he’s a little… well…’’

‘’Dumb?’’ Bobby raised a brow and Yunhyeong nodded carefully. ‘’To be honest, he does seem to be a little, say, slow. But I have figured a theory for that.’’

The man then leaner forward, shifting closer to Yunhyeong who also leaned better towards Bobby. ‘’If you ever watch carefully, you can see that on his body, he has… marks,’’ the man told quietly.

‘’Marks?’’

Bobby tapped at his own inner elbow. ‘’Here.’’

Yunhyeong made a small sound of understanding and nodded slowly.

‘’What happens to addicts when they get caught? They can’t get the stuff anymore. And that leads to…’’

‘’...Withdrawal symptoms?’’

‘’Exactly. And depending on what one is addicted to, those symptoms can get harsh as fuck. Even life threatening. And even if some survive them, they can…’’ Bobby finished his sentence by bringing his hand next to his head and snapping his fingers.

‘’Ah. So you think June is like that because he…’’ Yunhyeong copied the motion.

Bobby nodded. ‘’That’s what I believe. I mean, I’ve seen how that criminal world works. One needs brain for that, in the long run. I mean he isn't totally retarded, but he sure is strange in his own way. Gangsters are mischievous, cunning and above all sharp in the head.’’

They both followed the man of the topic with their eyes as he walked his way along the yard by himself, without a single worry in the world.

‘’He has done two and half years of his time now. First two years he spent in Daegu before transferring here. June has never talked about his past, actually. His gangmate of several years told me all this,’’ Bobby told. ‘’All June has told is that he is a poet now.’’

‘’A poet? That’s what he writes all the time? Poems?’’ Yunhyeong raised his brows.

Bobby smirked. ‘’Yea. He has a cabinet full of notebooks in case you haven’t noticed those.’’

‘’Oh. Wow.’’

Next Yunhyeong tried to find Chanwoo from somewhere along the inmates before remembering that the man was currently having a visitor.

‘’What did Chanwoo do?’’ he asked next. Expecting Bobby to speak, he soon frowned as it remained quiet, and after a short moment Yunhyeong turned his head towards the man to see him staring into a distance with a clenched jaw.

‘’Honestly, it just makes me really pissed off just thinking about it,’’ Bobby finally spoke after giving a heavy sigh.

‘’Oh, it’s alright, you don’t hav-’’

‘’The story goes,’’ Bobby started, leaning forward as Yunhyeong blinked for a few times before focusing to listen. ‘’Chanwoo, living with his widow mother, saw an intruder in their house in the middle of the night. And what did he do? He did what any single one of us would have done in that situation; stopped him. I mean...’’ he suddenly shot up onto his feet, motioning widely with his arms as he continued.

‘’That bastard had broken into their house, about to enter his mother’s bedroom! What the fuck! Chanwoo, like a fucking hero that he is, grabbed the closest object and hit the garbage in the head. Like what was he supposed to do? Tap him on the shoulder and be like ‘um, excuse me sir, I don’t think that attacking my mother is a very nice thing to do’, huh? The fact that the asshole died later on in the hospital was a reason for the prosecutor to think that what Chanwoo did was _too excessive_.’’

The man rolled his eyes and slumped back onto the bench, putting his arm onto the backrest. ‘’Had it been me, seeing some bastard trying to do shit like that to my wife or my son, I would’ve done something so much worse. The guy would have been nothing but a wet puddle afterwards. And I’d still be sure that the big dude upstairs would forgive me,’’ Bobby stated, pointing up towards the sky.

‘’Seriously? Chanwoo is in jail for saving his mother?’’ Yunhyeong stared at the man in disbelief. Ever since hearing from June that at least one of his cellmates was convicted for killing, he hadn’t had a slightest suspicion that the one could have been Chanwoo. An innocent face like his didn’t fit the prison in the first place. It was a relief, though, that the mentioned killing hadn’t been anything like a well-planned murder. And Yunhyeong agreed with Bobby, that what Chanwoo had done was justified. There was no doubt Yunhyeong wouldn’t have done the same.

‘’Yes!’’ Bobby rasped out in frustration. ‘’The poor kid is only 21 years old, goddamnit. He should be outside right now, studying, going on dates, meeting with friends, doing what people his age do. But instead he’s in here.’’

The man ran a hand across his face. ‘’Chanwoo is going to be fine, though. He got one year and has now done seven months. But once he gets out… This will remain as a stain in his record for the rest of his life. In this country, what kind of corporation hires people who are any less than absolute perfect? Will he even get into college after this… it’s so fucked up, man. That’s why I want him to study while he’s in here. At least make his chances a little better. But he’s not a very good at that, so… Fuck.’’

‘’You seem to take his case quite personally,’’ Yunhyeong uttered, but his tone let the other man know that he understood the reason very well.

‘’Yeah. I’ve grown quite fond of him, honestly,’’ Bobby smiled a bit. ‘’Chanwoo is a great kid.’’

‘’He seems great indeed.’’

Bobby then leaned back, bringing his other foot onto his own knee. ‘’And me, well. Possession of drugs,’’ he said with a casual shrug. ‘’Nothing much to add.’’

Yunhyeong sighed silently. It turned out that his cellmates sure weren’t the prime of the society but it could’ve been worse, too. At least now he was a little more sure that he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night with a plastic knife stabbed into his throat or something as gruesome.

‘’What’s up with you, though?’’ Bobby’s question cut off his thoughts. ‘’What made you murder someone?’’

‘’I…’’ Yunhyeong sighed. ‘’It’s complicated.’’

‘’I’m sure it is, I mean something must’ve surely been wrong for a guy like you to do something like that. I’ve been in jail for three times now but I still seem to make the mistake of judging a book by its cover. Your cover is just too sophisticated type,’’ Bobby said. ‘’I don’t think you were in your right mind when you did it, huh? What did she do to you?’’

‘’I was drunk,’’ he tried with a shrug.

‘’Doesn’t seem like an excuse, though. I’ve been drunk hundreds of times but I’ve never ended any lives.’’

‘’Do you really wanna know?’’ Yunhyeong asked and looked over at the man. ‘’Truthfully, I didn’t kill her, I only discovered her body right after she had died. It made me look like a murderer as there were no clues of anyone else being there at that time. I had pretty much no say to anything. I was sentenced here for a crime I didn’t commit, that’s what happened.’’

He looked away, following other inmates with his gaze while it was quiet for a while. Yunhyeong soon felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder and giving him a gentle pat. ‘’Okay okay. I won’t ask you anymore if you don’t really wanna talk about it. Probably after some time of being here you wanna come clean like most here do.’’

Yunhyeong nodded, knowing that Bobby was unable to see the blase expression on his face. ‘’Probably.’’

 

  
‘’Coffee water!’’

The errand boy’s voice echoing through the hallways made Yunhyeong lift his eyes from his book only momentarily before focusing back on reading.

‘’Chanwoo, should we have some coffee now?’’ Bobby spoke without discarding his eyes from the tv screen opposite from the wall he was leaning against.

‘’Sure,’’ Chanwoo replied casually before setting down his book and shuffling over to the corner occupied - or rather owned - by June.

‘’June. The table,’’ the man said softly and got to his feet to pull at the said object. June made a displeased face before settling to lay on his stomach to continue writing to his notebook. Chanwoo dragged the table to the middle and walked to the side of the room to take something from the shelf.

‘’Coffee water!!’’ The announcement was shout again, this time much closer, making Hanbin jump and lift his head from Bobby’s thigh with an annoyed frown.

‘’Shit, literally the last voice I wanna wake up to,’’ he complained and yawned.

‘’Were you sleeping for real?’’ Bobby asked with somewhat uninterested tone.

‘’Of course I was sleeping for real. Each second asleep is me getting close to my ultimate dream,’’ Hanbin told.

‘’What’s that?’’

‘’A coma.’’

‘’Why did I even ask…’’

‘’Coffee water!!’’

‘’For fuck’s sake we can hear you from miles away, shut the hell up!’’ Hanbin yelled at the errand boy who appeared at the window of their cell. The man, as usual, stayed unbothered.

‘’Hmm, hot water for my favorites, too,’’ the errand boy hummed happily as he handed a full plastic bottle to Chanwoo who had made his way to the window. ‘’You know guys, looking at you reminds me of a pop group! Once you all get out you should reunite and start pursuing careers in the music industry. When you make your debut, I’ll be your number one fan!’’

Five pairs of eyes stared at him silently.

‘’Hey,’’ Bobby then called flashing an insincere smile. ‘’Get lost already.’’

‘’Oh, Bobby! You have a raspy voice like a rapper. Still no?’’

‘’Yeah, no.’’

‘’Shame. You guys just seem to get along so well,’’ the errand boy smiled brightly.

Hanbin turned his head, exchanging glares with June. ‘’Do we now?’’ he muttered silently.

‘’Anyway, have a jovial day my dears,’’ the man then cooed before finally disappearing.

‘’I’m pretty sure he knows how goddamn annoying he is, he’s just embracing it,’’ Bobby muttered silently while shaking his head.

Having just finished the final page of the book, Yunhyeong shut and set it down before stretching his neck. Chanwoo had settled himself kneeling at the table, pouring the warmed water to five cups before giving Yunhyeong a curious look.

‘’Did you finish it already?’’

Yunhyeong just nodded.

‘’Wait… in a day?’’ Chanwoo raised his brows.

‘’Well, yes. I guess I’m a fast reader.’’

Chanwoo blinked, looking impressed, before nodding slowly. He then took a bag of instant coffee and ripped it open before pouring it into of the cups. He did the same two more before pouring one onto the surface of the table instead, carefully starting to separate the dark powder from the white one.

‘’What’s that?’’ Yunhyeong asked looking over curiously.

‘’June hates sweet, Hanbin prefers sweet. Therefore one of them gets no sugar and the other gets the double amount,’’ Chanwoo said with a sigh. ‘’It’s annoying but not as annoying as listening to them complaining, so…’’

‘’Ah,’’ Yunhyeong nodded in understanding.

‘’Do… you have a preference?’’ Chanwoo asked giving him a glance and Yunhyeong just shook his head. ‘’Good,’’ he then stated.

 

Few minutes later they had settled around the table for coffee, June not so surprisingly keeping a distance from the rest and focusing on the television screen as he sat with his cup.

‘’Did you get a life sentence?’’

The sudden question made Yunhyeong lift his eyes to meet with Hanbin’s listless ones. ‘’Huh?’’

‘’What does one receive for murder these days?’’

‘’Hanbin come on, he just got here,’’ Bobby scolded.

‘’So? it’s not like he’s gonna get special treatment around here. Probably noticed that yourself already, huh?’’ Hanbin arched an eyebrow at Yunhyeong who just sighed, feeling a slight sting at his temple from the words anyway.

‘’It’s only his second full day here and I think he’s already completely fed up with you,’’ Bobby tilted his head at the jailbird who just rolled his eyes.

‘’For me it took about a week, so it’s gotta be a new record,’’ Chanwoo also joined in with a small grin.

‘’I hated all of you since the very first minute,’’ June’s voice announced before the man sipped from his cup, his gaze never moving away from the screen.

‘’Lovely,’’ Bobby said softly. He then stared at Yunhyeong thoughtfully for a while. ‘’Can I ask you something?’’

‘’Oh? Sure,’’ Yunhyeong nodded carefully after lifting his gaze again.

‘’You just really seem like an educated person. You must have a degree of a sort, right? Where did you study?’’

‘’I graduated from Seoul University,’’ he replied nonchalantly before arching an eyebrow when the others suddenly halted to stare at him with wide eyes.

‘’S-Seoul..?’’ Bobby stuttered, seeming caught off guard. ‘’Wow...’’

‘’Wow indeed,’’ Hanbin clicked his tongue, staring at Yunhyeong with narrowed eyes. ‘’Seems that we got ourselves a whole smartass then, huh?’’

‘’In that case… You must be really good at studying,’’ Bobby stated ignoring the jailbird. He reached over to smack his hand against Chanwoo’s back. ‘’You should help our Chanu! He needs to learn a thing or two before getting out.’’

‘’What is that supposed to mean?’’ Chanwoo protested looking at Bobby. ‘’I don’t need any help with anything!’’

‘’Studying is overrated anyway,’’ Hanbin said, leaning back on his hands. ‘’I haven’t spend a single second of my life for that crap and I turned out just fine.’’

Chanwoo flinched, staring at Hanbin for a while before landing his gaze seeming as if he was contemplating on something.

‘’So…’’ he said before looking over at Yunhyeong. ‘’Could you really… do that?’’

‘’I mean… Sure. I guess I could assist with some things,’’ Yunhyeong uttered, scratching at the back of his neck.

Bobby watched the two, smiling and giving Hanbin an approving nod. ‘’Well done you.’’

‘’Me? Huh? What did I do?’’ Hanbin questioned completely oblivious.


	4. Footsteps in the dark

_Summer 2017_

 

Evening commute was the absolute worst. Chanwoo couldn’t even count how many ‘ _excuse me_ ’s and half-hearted bows of his head it took before he had finally stuffed his 180cm tall figure into the overly crowded bus. He clutched onto the handle above him almost for his dear life as the vehicle proceeded through the heavy traffic, people unwillingly pushing against him from each direction.

Some man even had the audacity to open his wide newspaper in the middle of all that jam, ignoring the displeased hisses from the fellow passengers. Chanwoo just sighed and shut his eyes, reminding himself that if he kept putting up with going to his part time jobs and back long enough, he’d eventually be able to buy himself an own car. That would surely be _long_ enough _,_ but still.

Yet Chanwoo survived through to the point where he stepped out at his stop, inhaling dramatically as the stuffiness around him finally eased away. Picking his phone, he opened the screen to see that he had 17 more minutes before he had to be home, and started walking along the street with rather hurried steps.

He didn’t manage to proceed too far before he heard a voice calling for him, making him sigh and stop on his tracks.

‘’Part timer! Seoul tower! Comrade Jung!’’

‘’Chanwoo is fine too,’’ he said, tone dull, as a young woman hopped beside him.

Song Jihyun, who always made Chanwoo feel even taller than usual with her tiny figure, grinned up at him. The woman was everything an ideal Korean female who had just reached her twenties was not. Jihyun pretty much never wore makeup, had a rather awkward fashion sense, a curly, chocolate brown hair and most importantly, owned a bold and ruthless personality. None of those were traits that Chanwoo condemned, though. During their several years of friendship, Jihyun had become surprisingly tolerable. A friendship which had started when they had been six and Jihyun had made Chanwoo cry at the playground by taking his toys and refusing to give them back.

‘’Another day at work, eh? Thank you for your effort towards our economy,’’ Jihyun praised as she started walking beside the noticeably taller male.

‘’Yeah, well…’’ Chanwoo muttered as he checked the time again. 14 minutes. ‘’No problem.’’

‘’Where’s your hurry?’’

‘’LG Twins’ game is starting in a bit.’’

‘’Wow, a devoted fan indeed,’’ Jihyun vaunted, giving Chanwoo a gentle punch on the arm. ‘’Take me out some time to watch their game at the stadium!’’

‘’You know nothing about baseball,’’ Chanwoo pointed out, still taking determined steps ahead even though he knew that the other was struggling with her short legs.

‘’I know enough to acknowledge that some of the players are a joy to the eye.’’

‘’Just stick to your idol groups, okay?’’

‘’I lost interest already. I’m all about actors these days, didn’t you know?’’ Jihyun told and took a sip from the straw of the banana milk she had been holding in her other hand.

‘’You should get a boyfriend, honestly,’’ Chanwoo sighed, still slightly amused.

‘’I should? Who? Do you wanna volunteer as a tribute?’’ Jihyun’s head perked up and the woman wrapped her arm around Chanwoo’s.

‘’Gross. No. Get off,’’ Chanwoo groaned and lazily tried to pull himself away.

‘’Will you build a house for us, Chanu? How many kids do you want?’’

‘’Eww, shut up!’’ he grimaced slightly and turned his body further from the woman. With the unfortunate timing, he suddenly collided with a man he had missed walking on the street from the opposite direction.

‘’Oops, I’m sorry,’’ he muttered and bowed at the man who continued his way completely unbothered. Jihyun, having let go of Chanwoo’s arm, stopped and squinted after him clicking her tongue.

‘’A total creeper feel…’’ she whispered, looking at how the stranger was wearing a black cap along with a mask on his face despite the merciless heat. She saw a skull tattoo at the back of the man’s neck. ‘’Wow. Could that be a gangster?’’

Jihyun turned her head towards Chanwoo to see that the boy was already continuing his way along the street. ‘’Hey! Seoul tower, wait up!’’ she called as he ran after him.

 

Chanwoo had always liked his neighborhood, as the people were kind and the surroundings pleasing to the eye. It had been only a few months since he had any reason to dislike something about the area. They both unconsciously slowed down as they got to a house with a yellow police tape still hanging in front of the front gate.

‘’It still gives me the same chills…’’ Jihyun sighed. ‘’I can’t believe they still haven’t found the culprit.’’

Mrs. Yang, an elderly woman living alone had been robbed and murdered in her home one night, no traces of the intruder found. The case had later been connected to an earlier one some distance away, where an older lady had been killed in same type of circumstances. It had become a dark shadow looming above the otherwise pleasant district.

‘’Do you think they will strike again?’’ Jihyun asked conversationally, neither of them realizing how they had stopped to stare at the house with a rather sad atmosphere.

‘’At least I hope not…’’ Chanwoo mumbled.

‘’We should go in. With flashlights on some stormy night. We might see a real ghost.’’

‘’I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford getting in trouble for trespassing.’’

Chanwoo’s eyes wandered on the police tape, remembering back to the time when the place had been filled with officers and police cars. For all that he knew, Mrs. Yang had been a warm hearted person, and left several sons and daughters to mourn her.

‘’Isn’t the game starting, though? Let’s go quickly,’’ Jihyun suddenly woke Chanwoo up from his thoughts, tugging him forward along the street.

 

Soon enough Chanwoo had made it to the front gate of his house, walking up the few steps and reaching for the keys.

‘’I’m not gonna watch it, but I wish for LG Twins’ victory tonight!’’ Jihyun called cheerfully.

‘’How noble of you,’’ Chanwoo grinned as he opened the gate.

‘’Later, comrade Jung!’’

‘’Bye,’’ he said as Jihyun started hopping along the street towards her own house. Chanwoo found himself staring after her.

 

‘’There you are!’’ he heard his mother call as soon as he was inside.

‘’What’s all this?’’ Chanwoo questioned with raised brows as he reached the living room.

‘’Ah, didn’t you say that there’s some game coming tonight? I set the table in the living room so we can have dinner while watching,’’ the woman told as she took the remote to open the television. ‘’Which channel is it?’’

‘’Oh, mom…’’ Chanwoo crooned as he walked over to sit down on the floor at the low table. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but he truly appreciated the little things his mom did to make him happy. It had been nearly ten years since he had lost a father and she had lost a husband, but Chanwoo had noticed his mom’s changed attitude towards her two sons. And later towards Chanwoo, as his older brother had moved out to live on his own with a notice of two days. She had tried to pretend that it had been okay, but Chanwoo could still see the hurt in her eyes from time to time.

 

They had dinner while sitting on the floor and watching baseball, Chanwoo having to clarify some of the rules to his mom from time to time as she was rather unfamiliar with the sport. It was still content, for both of them.

The game ended with LG Twins’ victory. Chanwoo helped his mother to clean up before grabbing a can of soda from the refrigerator and disappearing into his room with a plan of playing games until the very late hours.

 

With his headset on and the computer screen flashing bright colors in the otherwise dim room, it wasn’t that difficult for Chanwoo to lose a track of time. He knew he had to work the next day, but it had never stopped him before.

When he finally let his mind to come back to reality as he leaned back to stretch his figure, Chanwoo noticed that it was already past midnight. Which meant that his mother had gone to sleep several hours ago, like he also should’ve. Well, getting proper sleep was a lost case already, so he didn’t feel too bad when he regained his position and focused on the game menu.

However a sudden strange sound from outside his room made Chanwoo jolt up and bring down his headset. He gazed at the closed door of his room, listening closely. He wasn’t sure what he had heard, but it had been different from the usual sounds of his mother walking around the house. Something like a thud. He knew that there were a lot of stray cats in the neighborhood which almost every time explained the noises outside. Yet that sound had been as if from inside the house.

Chanwoo listened, but heard nothing. So he ended up putting the headset back on and grabbed the mouse again.

It took only a few seconds before he heard another noise, this time more clearly through the game sounds. Chanwoo was fast to rip the entire headset off and shoot up from his chair.

It had definitely been from inside.

He stood there, staring at the door again, feeling his pulse starting to speed up. He silently made his way to the door and listened again. The sound of his beating heart in his ears wasn’t much of a help, though.

Chanwoo was paranoid at some aspects. It definitely wasn’t his first time to get distressed over strange sounds - having done so since his childhood actually - but this time something was different.

It was surely the first time for him to hear unfamiliar, faint footsteps.

The boy swallowed. Minwoo, his older brother, had the keys to the house and would sometimes pay visits without telling beforehand. But it was midnight. Minwoo never came around that time.

Chanwoo didn’t even think much further before his hand was grabbing the knob and he opened the door as silently and slowly as he could. He thought about carefully trying to call for his mother to see if it really was her moving around that late hour, but Chanwoo didn’t want to make a risk of being discovered by someone… unknown.

The living room that appeared in front of him was dark, but the light from outside revealed enough for the boy to see that there was no one. He looked around failing to see any movement, so he took a careful step forward to inspect more.

His heart made a backflip as he had reached far enough to see that the front door was ajar.

_Someone was in the house._

Chanwoo’s breath got stuck in his throat, and he silently backed away to his room. He should call the cops. But what if it was Minwoo after all, coming there drunk and having made his way straight to his old bedroom? What if the door had broken by itself? What if it was his mother after all? What if there really was an intruder, and they would hear him as he would be talking on the phone?

With dozens of _what if’_ s running through his mind, Chanwoo’s hand grabbed an object as he walked backwards into his bedroom.

He had been meaning to put a pair of nails onto the wall for weeks, so that he could place the baseball bat on display. A bat he had won through a lucky draw online, decorated with his favorite player’s signature.

Now the bat was in his tight hold, as Chanwoo took a deep breath and headed out of his room once again.

The house wasn’t that huge and only had one floor. It meant that if there really was someone inside, there was only one option of their whereabouts. Chanwoo proceeded to the living room, walking by a wall without making a sound.

It took him more courage than he could’ve thought to take the final step to peek towards a short hallway with two doors; one to his mother’s bedroom and one to Minwoo’s.

And there it was, what Chanwoo had been afraid of seeing since his childhood. An intruder.

The man was standing still, back towards him. It was dim, but Chanwoo was still sure there was no way it could be his brother. The stranger’s build was much different.

What made the boy’s blood flow even faster than before was the fact that the intruder was standing right in front of the entrance to his mother’s room. What was he waiting for, Chanwoo wasn’t sure. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to let the bastard get inside.

The images of the police cars in front of Mrs. Yang’s house filled his head as he sneaked towards the stranger, squeezing the bat with both of his hands. The man was wearing a black cap and a mask, and still didn’t notice Chanwoo approaching him from behind.

Just when the stranger lifted his leather gloved hand to the doorknob, Chanwoo hastily made a stroke aiming to his head.

It happened fast; there was a whack, a yelp and a thud. The man was down on the floor, muttering out a low curse. He attempted to get up using his arms, and Chanwoo managed to get the glimpse of a skull tattoo on the back of his neck.

The hit hadn’t been too effective as the stranger seemed to be in his full senses, and after maybe a second of hesitation Chanwoo stroke again.

Then, it got quiet. The man wasn’t moving anymore, just laying limp on the ground. It was over. Chanwoo was breathing heavily, the hands holding the bat were shaking severely and eventually let go, the bat dropping with a clash.

He backed away until he hit the wall behind him, collapsing down onto the floor as his legs suddenly failed him.

 

  
‘’It is very fortunate you noticed what was going on in time. What you did was very brave.’’

Chanwoo gazed down expressionlessly as an officer typed on a computer. He had completely lost the track of how long he had been sitting there answering questions. He had also lost track of himself, suddenly feeling like he was unable to feel emotions. The boy wasn’t sure if he was supposed to still be panicking or maybe bawling his eyes out in a situation like that, but there he was, doing absolutely nothing that could tell what he was thinking about.

‘’Possibly… could that be the same man who… killed those women?’’ he suddenly asked, voice hesitant and silent.

The officer gave a sigh. ‘’In such an early part of the investigation we can’t be sure. But of course, there is a high possibility that it is the same person. He might’ve missed the fact that someone else was living in the house.’’

The man’s tone was quieter than usual, and Chanwoo understood that it was for the fact that his mother was seated somewhere behind him in the police station, waiting for him to finish the interrogation.

‘’If that indeed is the case, you did a huge favor for the entire police department. We have been utterly helpless trying to track down that bastard. When he wakes up, he will be facing consequences nevertheless. He was an intruder after all.’’

Right after Chanwoo heard a familiar voice from somewhere near him.

‘’Mom! Are you okay? I came here as fast as I could. Where’s Chanwoo? Chanwoo!’’

He didn’t look up even when someone rushed over and sat down on a chair next to his. ‘’Chanwoo? You okay? Mom called me and told that you’d be here.’’

‘’Are you a relative by chance?’’ the officer inquired.

‘’Yes, I am his brother,’’ Minwoo spoke and the younger finally raised his head slowly.

‘’...I hit someone,’’ he told monotonously.

Minwoo gave a frown. ‘’That someone had broken in to the house, Chanwoo. You did good, it’s okay.’’

‘’That is something you shouldn’t be worried about to begin with. Sure, in legal terms it was assault, but will be most likely justified as self defense. You did what you had to do.’’

Chanwoo turned to look at the officer who was watching him rather gently and then nodded. ‘’Right.’’

‘’As for now we should wrap this up. It has been a long night and you should go and rest. We will get back to you soon.  Could you possibly also leave your contact information?’’ The last question was addressed to Minwoo and the older male nodded.

‘’Yes, of course.’’

Chanwoo stood up first, his face still lacking of an expression of any sort.

‘’Look at you…’’ his mother sighed sadly as he walked over, eyes casted down. She brought her hand to his cheek. ‘’You’re completely pale, Chanwoo.’’

‘’Could he still be in shock?’’ Minwoo mused as he stepped beside him, finished giving out his information.

‘’I’m fine,’’ Chanwoo said.

Minwoo swallowed and gently placed his hand at the back of the younger’s head before turning towards their mother. ‘’Let’s go to my place. You two can stay there as long as you need to, okay?’’

‘’Yes, let’s do that. Chanwoo needs to lay down.’’

 

 

It didn’t take long before the confirmation came. The man Chanwoo had stopped was indeed the one responsible for the two unsolved murders. The detectives that had gone to make a search at his apartment had made a horrible discovery of several printed photos of the victims at the crime scenes, apparently taken only minutes after their deaths. It meant that he had broken into Chanwoo’s mother’s house with the intention of committing his third murder. He would be charged as soon as he woke up in the hospital. The man had shown no signs of that even several days later, but he was expected to revive any moment.

With that fact, it was easier for Chanwoo go start coming in terms with the events of that night. Yes, it had been the most frightening experience of his so-far short life, but he had saved his mother. And also, with the culprit finally being caught it would be easier also for the families of Mrs. Yang and the other victim to go on with their own lives.

He was called a hero. Chanwoo’s name wasn’t published in any articles - by his own request - and he hadn’t really taken a proper look into them anyway. He didn’t wish to gain any type of popularity out of what had happened.

Because it had been because someone had wanted to hurt his mother. The person he wanted to protect the most in this world, who had already been treated unfairly by several accounts, who deserved nothing bad happening to her. She didn’t seem to be much affected by it, however, being too focused on worrying for her son. Chanwoo was doing okay, though. In a few days he had become pretty much his usual self, as it started to feel like everything was going to be okay.

That was until the massive twist in things.

 

Chanwoo and his mother ended up staying at Minwoo’s place much longer than originally planned. The oldest of the two sons really didn’t mind that, after all it had been a while as they had been together as a whole, third membered family.

It was six days after the incident, Chanwoo was settled onto a couch texting with Jihyun while Minwoo was preparing dinner. Their mother had gone out to run a few errands.

The sound of his brother’s ringtone had become familiar already, Minwoo being a journalist and constantly in contact with his colleagues. He was able to work from home a lot of times, another chance for the brothers to spend more time together during Chanwoo’s stay.

Therefore he didn’t budge as Minwoo’s phone rang, focused on questioning Jihyun’s sense of humor from a video she had just sent him.

‘’Hello? Yes, speaking. Oh, actually he’s with me right now.’’

His brother’s words finally caught his attention. Chanwoo turned turned his head and looked over curiously. His brother returned the gaze.

‘’What seems to be the pro-’’ Minwoo paused mid-sentence, frowning and lowering his gaze as he listened to the other end.

The younger slowly sat up straight, watching as his brother started pacing lightly on his spot and brought his hand up to rub at the back of his neck.

‘’I understand. Yes. I will. Thank you,’’ he said finally after a way too long silence. The call was then ended and Minwoo brought the phone down onto one of the counters, refusing to meet eyes with the younger for a brief moment.

‘’What was that?’’ Chanwoo asked, a weird feeling in his guts.

The older finally met eyes with him, and the seriousness of the man’s expression was enough to tell him that everything wasn’t okay anymore.

  


Chanwoo wondered if he was ever able to come in terms with the fact that he had killed someone.

Mr. Kim, who had suddenly become a victim instead of a culprit, had suddenly had his condition drop. There had been bunch of medical terms Chanwoo had been told, which he had however forgotten almost instantly. Eventually Mr. Kim, with two murder accusations on his shoulders, had gotten the easy way out and passed away on the hospital bed.

And now it was Chanwoo having a killing charge weighing him.

He had been told from the start that the assault would have to be handled in court as if was customary, but he had been assured he wouldn’t be facing any severe consequences with a claim of self defence. It was different now however, with the victim being dead.

 

‘’Yes, with the fact that the man was an intruder and Chanwoo’s suspicions of the connection with the previous incidents in the area, the case isn’t going to be one-sided. However, we’ll have to deal with the fine line that goes between justified and eggxarated. One of the main problems is that Chanwoo aimed for the head, and also hit him twice, when only one time could’ve been possibly enough to restrain him and call the officials. It is also a fact that before the assault, the victim wasn’t acting aggressively-’’

‘’Then what?’’ Minwoo suddenly rasped out. ‘’Should he have waited for him to hurt our mother before doing anything, huh?!’’

‘’Hyung, calm down.’’

‘’You know what? We should get another lawyer, I can find-’’

‘’Hyung!’’ Chanwoo’s stricter tone finally cut off his brother. ‘’He is just stating things how they are, you can’t argue with what actually happened.’’

He then turned at the man sitting across the table. ‘’You will help us, right? To make it justified?’’

‘’Of course! That is my job, after all,’’ the lawyer said, adjusting his weird shaped glasses. Chanwoo gave Minwoo a glance, and the older leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

‘’Okay. I’m sorry.’’

‘’Not at all. Now, to go over with the unpleasant parts of the case, the possible sentence is few years in prison. The intruder part is going to make sure that it won’t be even near to usual homicide sentences, though. A maximum of three in this case, probably.’’

  
  


‘’The world is dumb.’’

‘’That’s kinda political coming out of your mouth.’’

Jihyun pouted with her eyes casted down, and slowly brought up her banana milk to take a sip from the straw. Chanwoo also had a carton in his hand as the two were sitting on the steps in front of the gate to his house. The sunset was coloring their features with a shade of orange.

‘’But it’s true,’’ she spoke. ‘’Why are heroes treated like criminals?’’

‘’Heroes don’t kill the bad guys.’’

‘’Yes they do!’’ Jihyun protested.

Chanwoo only chuckled. It had been almost a month, and he had had time to handle everything. Now he had made it where he could find some humor in everything.

He looked down as well, but soon his eyes caught the band-aid on Jihyun’s knee. _Like a child,_ he thought to himself. Chanwoo sometimes wanted to scold her for not being careful and always ending up bruising herself in her everyday haste. But he was worried it would come out somehow weird.

‘’What are you gonna do, though? If I go to jail.’’

Jihyun sipped the milk again. ‘’I’ll be good. No one would dare to defy me ever again if I got to go around stating that my best friend is an ex convict.’’

Chanwoo smirked. ‘’You’ve got it all planned out, then.’’

‘’You’re not going to jail, though. They just can’t do that,’’ Jihyun said.

‘’They can, and they might.’’

She gave a deep sigh. ‘’That’s why the world is dumb.’’

‘’I know.’’

The two were quiet for a moment.

‘’Chanwoo,’’ Jihyun then uttered. It was strange when she used his actual name to address him, with all those nicknames she had come up with throughout the years. She waited for him to look at her before speaking. ‘’You didn’t do anything wrong. You know that… right?’’

He didn’t reply at first, just lowered his eyes onto the tips of his shoes and inhaled deep. ‘’I did something wrong, after all I’ll be sitting as a defendant in the court tomorrow.’’

‘’No one thinks you’re at fault. If they say it was excessive, it’s only because of the law sections.’’

‘’I’m just glad if that’s the case.’’

‘’Do you want me to be there?’’

Chanwoo was quiet for a brief moment as he thought about it. ‘’No.’’

Jihyun nodded, her teeth gently chewing onto the plastic straw.

‘’Then, I won’t come.’’

Another long yet comfortable silence landed above them.

‘’When you come back, let’s go have some chicken and beer,’’ Jihyun said, the smile audible in her voice.

Chanwoo also smiled as he nodded. ‘’Deal.’’

  


That night, instead of sleeping in his old bedroom Minwoo was settled onto the floor next to Chanwoo’s bed.

‘’It was quite shitty of me to move out like that, right?’’

‘’Yes, it was,’’ Chanwoo answered honestly. They were both laying on their backs, eyes up on the ceiling. He heard the older man sigh.

‘’I’m sorry.’’

‘’I’m not the one you should apologize to. I was fine after you left. Mom was not.’’

Minwoo swallowed. ‘’I will make it up to her. And you as well. Somehow, I promise.’’

The topic had never been discussed, but Chanwoo believed to know his own brother well enough to know that Minwoo was partly blaming himself for what had happened. Had he been there, Chanwoo might’ve not used violence and now be facing consequences. It was not how Chanwoo saw it, though. But that’s how he believed the older was thinking.

‘’Hyung, if I go to jail, mom is not going to be alright. You have to be there for her.’’

‘’I will. But you’re not going to prison.’’

‘’Stop saying it as a fact as if you could know that for sure.’’

Minwoo grinned faintly. ‘’I guess a lot of people have kept saying the same thing for a while now.’’

‘’Yeah, and it’s getting annoying,’’ Chanwoo replied with a matching grin.

He gazed at the patterns formed by the light from outside onto the ceiling, letting himself fall within his own thoughts.

‘’I wonder what dad would say right now,’’ he said after a while.

It took unusually long before Minwoo answered. ‘’He would be so grateful… for that you saved the person he loved so dearly more than half of his life.’’

The words affected him immediately, and Chanwoo had to fight back so that his breath wouldn’t start hitching. The back of his eyes also started to sting. ‘’I miss him,’’ he managed to utter while keeping his voice stable.

‘’Me too,’’ Minwoo said and then slowly turned his head towards the bed. ‘’Are you worried?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Chanwoo replied.

‘’Scared?’’

‘’Yes.’’

The older sighed, brought up his hand and waited for Chanwoo to take it. ‘’We’ll be fine. No matter what. Eventually, we will.’’

Chanwoo swallowed hard but nodded. ‘’We’ll be fine,’’ he repeated.

  
  
  
  


_‘’Continuation of case 2017GO1103. The defendant Jung Chanwoo assaulted the victim who was standing his back towards the attack. The defendant used a bat, a dangerous item, to assault him and fatally injured him. This was excessive and exceeded justified self-defense. Therefore, the defendant Jung Chanwoo is sentenced to one year in prison.’’_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_Present_

 

Hanbin jumped slightly in his crouching position as the bathroom door was slid open, an annoyed frown forming on his face as he looked up. ‘’What now?’’

‘’Just get over with it quickly, I need to go,’’ Chanwoo told.

‘’You can hold it. Do you think this is cheap fun?’’ Hanbin raised his fingers that were holding a cigarette in between. ‘’Let me have it all I want for as long as I want.’’

Bobby suddenly cleared his throat louder than necessary while standing at the window to the hallway, which made Hanbin shoot up and sit at the edge of the toilet seat. ‘’Get lost,’’ he said to Chanwoo as he reached over to slam the bathroom door shut.

Chanwoo just sighed and slumped onto the floor right when a guard passed by the cell. Bobby stared after him for a while before turning his head and giving Hanbin a nod. The jailbird got back down instantly to continue his matter.

Yunhyeong, occupied with his second book, raised a brow after a while and looked towards the bathroom. ‘’What is he flushing that often?’’

‘’The smoke. He needs to blow it into a tube that goes to the toilet,’’ Chanwoo said, laying on his side and staring ahead blankly. ‘’The smoke alarms here are extra sensitive.’’

Yunhyeong just stared towards the bathroom for a while before continuing to read.

Soon enough Hanbin retreated from the booth, Chanwoo getting up and fleeting in almost in a rush. The jailbird sat down in front of the cabinets to hide his plastic tube somewhere.

‘’You’re lucky you know?’’

Yunhyeong blinked a few times before turning his head to see Hanbin staring at him with his trademark bored expression. ‘’Lucky?’’

The jailbird nodded. ‘’Mm. For getting in Seobu. I’ve been to almost all prisons of this country but this… it feels like a hotel compared to others. Do you think it’s this clean and spacey everywhere? Seobu’s even officially confirmed as the best penitentiary.’’

‘’Dumbass, the best prison isn’t chosen by the inmates’ living conditions. It’s the statistics of how many folks end up committing crimes again after being released,’’ Bobby spoke.

Yunhyeong just looked between the two, failing to figure out how any of that had something to do with him. ‘’...And?’’

‘’I’m telling you what you should fear the most in here,’’ Hanbin pointed with his finger. ‘’It’s getting transferred.’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’If you are moved to another penitentiary, it’s going to be nothing but a downgrade. Even I get paranoid at times when a guard comes here.’’

‘’Oh… is that so?’’ Yunhyeong inquired with somehow tense tone. ‘’How does one get transferred, then?’’

‘’Randomly,’’ Hanbin said with a shrug. ‘’Usually there’s no bigger reason, and they never tell you beforehand.’’

The jailbird then stretched out his arms, and before Yunhyeong had a chance to react, he fell down onto his side and landed his head right on his thigh. ‘’Now don’t move, I’m taking a nap,’’ he declared.

Yunhyeong opened his mouth to speak but ended up not saying a word, just staring at Hanbin for a moment. He looked at Bobby as if to ask what was he supposed to do now, but the man just gave a shrug. ‘’You’ll get used to him,’’ he reassured silently.

 

‘’Alright kids, it’s time to work,’’ Lieutenant Kwon called some time later, opening the cell door as the inmates of 7A5 got up. ‘’Inmate 7179, Song Yunhyeong, you’ve been assigned to the greenhouse program.’’

‘’Oh, bad luck I guess,’’ Bobby said to him silently, making Yunhyeong raise a questioning brow.

‘’Bobby and I are in the woodshop, therefore…’’

‘’We are gonna have a lot of fun together,’’ Hanbin cut off Chanwoo’s sentence, stepping beside Yunhyeong with a cheeky grin.

  
Yunhyeong wanted to cry.

He was staying still, crouched down, spray bottle in hand and eyes glazed over the ugly plant in front of him.

Unlike him, Hanbin seemed to be having the time of his life taking care of some equally ugly plant next to him. On his other side, June was poking a garden shovel into a pot full of dirt, his level of enthusiasm reflecting with Yunhyeong’s.

Yunhyeong sighed soundlessly and pressed his head down. _Donghyuk, lawyer Kang, please get me out of here. I feel like I’m going to start losing brain cells already._

‘’Chin up, Seoul uni,’’ Hanbin called. ‘’It could be worse, woodshop is nothing but a slave cave. They make you build furniture and pay you a ridiculously low amount for each piece. At least here you can take it easy.’’

Yunhyeong only scoffed. _I will be doing nothing but taking it easy for the next 35 years, thank you very much._

‘’Inmate 5009, come and help over here,’’ a guard spoke and Yunhyeong heard Hanbin getting up to go somewhere. He sighed again, lifting his head to glare at the plant in front of him. Yunhyeong leaned back until he was sitting on the ground.

‘’Why is there even a greenhouse in the middle of winter, nothing goddamn grows in February,’’ he muttered aloud.

‘’Hehe.’’

Yunhyeong moved his gaze onto June. The gangster was still looking focused on the dirt, but apparently was well aware of his surroundings. _At least someone is enjoying my misery._

He didn’t even know why he was suddenly in such a bad mood. Maybe it was because he wished he could be at his old workplace, doing something that actually had impact on things. Yunhyeong wasn’t a fine gentleman type of spoiled kid, but he found his station honestly ridiculous.

Adapting was truly a painful process.

Yunhyeong still hadn’t done a thing when Hanbin was back. ‘’Stop glaring at the poor plant, you’ll end up killing it,’’ the jailbird said as he took the spray bottle from Yunhyeong’s hand and started watering the plant he had been treating like his most valued possession. The other just stayed quiet.

‘’Look,’’ Hanbin started after a moment. ‘’It’s not really that bad in here, if you see below the surface.’’

Yunhyeong remained uninterested. Hanbin sighed.

‘’I’ll explain you,’’ he stated before shuffling closer in his crouching position. ‘’If you look over there, next to that dirt pile. That’s _the store_.’’

‘’That’s a plant.’’

Hanbin closed his eyes momentarily and clenched his teeth. ‘’It’s a store like I just stated.’’

‘’I’m pretty sure that’s a plant,’’ Yunhyeong announced bluntly.

‘’Okay listen to me you little shit if I say that’s a store then that is a fucking store end of the goddamn discussion you got that?’’

‘’Sure,’’ Yunhyeong shrugged unbothered.

‘’That store, which indeed _is_ a store because I said so, sells everything you can’t have from the official commissary. Just make a simple request and you can have it shortly. But you gotta be prepared to pay for it more than ten times you’d have to pay outside.’’

‘’I’ll stick to the commissary.’’

‘’There he is,’’ Hanbin stated, making Yunhyeong look over to see a familiar inmate walking to where Hanbin had pointed. It was the guy they had told him about, Kim Jinhwan.

He watched how Jinhwan crouched next to the plant, and after a quick glance around he grabbed at the long and strong stem, lifting up the entire thing to dig something from the pot under the dirt. Then he placed the plant back down, dusting that something off before standing back up. Jinhwan casually walked past a group of inmates, almost unnoticeably tapping his hand on someone’s shoulder. The inmate reached up, and that something had changer its owner.

‘’Like I said, a store,’’ Hanbin mused before nudging Yunhyeong with his elbow. ‘’Now you better start doing something here, princess. If you keep procrastinating the guards will start picking on both of us.’’

With a sigh, Yunhyeong took back the spray bottle and started watering the greens in front of him with a lacking amount of delight.

 

He managed to get himself somehow focused on the task, lifting his gaze only when he suddenly saw Jinhwan walking over and crouching down while looking at June questioningly. Yunhyeong reasoned the gangster had beckoned him over.

Without a word, June nodded his head towards an empty pot next to him. Jinhwan reached over to take a stack of transportation cards from inside it.

‘’Terrific. Jailbird?’’

‘’The thing is, I’m going to get more cards in four da-’’

‘’No. I don’t like you enough to give you stuff on the nod that often. Get back to me in four days,’’ Jinhwan said, blowing a strand of his dark hair from in front of his face. Hanbin just rolled his eyes.

Yunhyeong, keeping his eyes on the plant in front of him, noticed how it was quiet despite the fact Jinhwan still hadn’t left his spot. He slowly raised his head to see the small man staring at him intently. He remembered Bobby mentioning that several inmates were scared of the guy, but honestly, he couldn’t understand the reason. There was nothing special about Jinhwan that made him waver in his spot. He was rather fragile looking. Even his voice was delicate.

‘’So this is the dude everyone in my wing has been talking about, huh?’’

‘’Why? Do you feel threatened by how famous he is?’’ Hanbin asked with a vicious smirk. Yunhyeong just wished he could disappear into thin air, not wanting to be part of the conversation.

Jinhwan scoffed with an amusement that could’ve been faked. ‘’Threatened my ass,’’ he mumbled before getting up and walking away.

‘’Totally threatened. You better not go anywhere alone, he’ll chop you,’’ Hanbin warned lowly, but Yunhyeong didn’t feel intimidated the slightest.

‘’Hey June. You bought a stash, right? Give me two and I’ll pay you in four days, deal?’’ the jailbird suddenly suggested.

‘’No,’’ June replied, focused on planting something into the pot.

‘’Asshole. Okay, give me just one then.’’

June lifted his hand to flip him off.

‘’Really… A gangster without any sense of teamwork,’’ Hanbin shook his head mockingly. ‘’Nothing but a joke.’’

Yunhyeong’s head perked up and he gave the jailbird a frown and a nudge. ‘’He’s right there, he can hear you.’’

‘’It’s okay. He doesn’t understand much. That brain has been destroyed by drugs long ago. Really, the only thing moving in his head is his eyes.’’

‘’Hanbin,’’ Yunhyeong hissed in a scolding manner, carefully turning to look at June. The man had stopped moving, staring blankly ahead before closing his eyes and inhaling deep. He was clearly annoyed, and Yunhyeong was finally starting to feel intimidated.

‘’Shame, though. Anyway, where was I?’’ Hanbin muttered unconcernedly before focusing back on his plant.

Yunhyeong continued to stare at June as if waiting for him to lash out. The man remained calm, however. He soon reached out to take the spray bottle from Yunhyeong, who followed with his eyes how the gangster slowly unscrewed it before standing up with the bottle part in his hand.

Hanbin was still completely oblivious when June walked to stand right behind him. Only when the water poured onto his head, he tensed and gasped from the coldness.

‘’Here. Maybe this helps you grow a pair,’’ June stated before throwing the now empty bottle towards his head and walking somewhere.

Yunhyeong stared after him before turning his focus onto Hanbin who was looking ahead with squinted eyes and clenched jaw, water dripping down from his hair and face.

‘’To be completely honest, not even you can claim that you didn’t deserve tha-’’

‘’Shut the fuck up.’’

‘’Oh okay.’’

 

June was crouching down at the incinerator, in front of the fire that was burning the greenhouse waste. He breathed in deep and shut his eyes momentarily.

‘’I saw what you did to Jailbird. That was beautiful.’’

A faint smirk rose to his lips, and the gangster opened his eyes and turned his head towards the voice. Jinhwan was standing against the entrance, a stack of cigarettes in his hand.

‘’It felt good,’’ he said as the man handed over his purchase.

‘’Why do you still do that?’’

‘’Do what?’’

‘’Pretending to be dumb. If it really annoys you when you are called that.’’

June turned to look at the flames again.

‘’Jailbird is tolerable. It’s the others. They all seem to have some issues and I don’t want them to think that I can understand them. I don’t wanna care, simply.’’

‘’Isn’t it tiring, though?’’ Jinhwan asked with a curious tilt of his head.

‘’It’s the opposite. And it’s fun,’’ June smirked again.

‘’What are you guys doing in there? No loitering, get back to your stations!’’

They both turned around to see a guard in the distance. June sighed and hid his cigarettes into his self made inside pocket.

‘’You gave too many,’’ he pointed out as Jinhwan had just turned to go back to the greenhouse.

‘’It’s on me,’’ the other man said with a shrug before leaving.


	5. The diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the characters' ages. Bobby is almost 30 in this fic and I also thought June to be much older than he is in real life. Bobby is the oldest though. Chanwoo and Hanbin are same age as in real life. And if Yun was in uni in 2013 then idk I don't like to count

‘’Donghyuk?’’

‘’Yeah?’’

The man turned to see Chaeyoung standing towards him, combing a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingers.

‘’Should we switch? I’ve proceeded to the drawers of the nightstand but I’m scared I find something weird there,’’ the woman grinned sheepishly.

Donghyuk needed a moment to realize what she was talking about but then snickered silently, giving a nod. ‘’Let’s do that then.’’

He moved away from the closet, Chaeyoung taking his place, and walked over to the bed to empty the drawers into a cardboard box set next to it.

While Yunhyeong had been held in the detention center, they had agreed that if he was to receive a prison sentence, he would have his apartment emptied and given in. It would be too costly in the long run if no one was using the place, after all no one knew for sure how long Yunhyeong would be locked up for. Donghyuk had been lucky to get his two friends to help him with the emptying part, and Yunhyeong’s parents would later show up to take and store the boxes.

Like he knew beforehand, Donghyuk ended up finding nothing any grown person would condemn from the drawers. He was pulling a stack of some type of notebooks out when something dropped from between, making him stop for a moment. Donghyuk slowly placed the books into the box before sitting down on the floor and picking up a photograph.

He had bought a polaroid camera as a momentary zeal a few years ago, gotten bored with it after using the first stack of film. The pictures taken with it were all precious memories, however. Just like the one he had just found, taken of the two in Donghyuk’s hometown on top of a hill where they had walked to watch the sunrise.

‘’As much as I think how  _ absolutely joyful  _ this task is, I also think we should consider the mandatory evils, eating for example. I say barbeque,’’ Hongseok spoke as he appeared at the entrance of the bedroom, leaning against the frame.

‘’I second that!’’ Chaeyoung beamed.

Donghyuk was quiet, sitting there with his back against the bed and eyes glued onto the picture in his hands.

‘’Donghyuk? Barbeque? Pork belly..?’’ Hongseok tried, but got no answer. The two then exchanged looks, knowing that something was wrong when the man didn’t react to those particular words.

They proceeded fast to him, Hongseok jumping onto his stomach on the bed and Chaeyoung sitting down next to Donghyuk.

‘’Hey…’’ Hongseok called as he saw what the man was looking at. ‘’You’re acting like he’s dead or something. Yunhyeong is fine! A few more days and you’ll see him again.’’

‘’But I want to see him now…’’ Donghyuk mumbled, pressing his head down.

His friends gave matching sighs, and Chaeyoung wrapped her hand around Donghyuk’s head to place it onto her shoulder instead.

‘’I’m sure he wants to see you too,’’ she said softly. ‘’But I also think he doesn’t want you to be like this because of him.’’

‘’We can’t even hold hands anymore,’’ Donghyuk said and pouted his lips while Chaeyoung was stroking his hair.

‘’But you said that his lawyer is super professional, right? He’ll get him out in no time,’’ Hongseok reassured.

‘’What if he doesn’t?’’

Hongseok and Chaeyoung exchanged looks again.

‘’That’s not the spirit,’’ Chaeyoung hummed.

Donghyuk sighed sadly. ‘’He’s the last person on Earth to deserve something like this. It’s so unfair.’’

‘’So are you,’’ the woman smiled a bit. ‘’Please don’t be too miserable, Donghyuk. I’m sure everything will turn out fine.’’

‘’I’m honestly feeling blue at times, too. Seeing my favorite couple separated like this,’’ Hongseok said, leaning his cheek against his palm.

‘’Shut up Hongseok, you hated us when we first got together,’’ Donghyuk answered, managing a grin.

‘’False news! I have never had anything against Yunhyeong. You however were a pain in the ass when you developed that desperate crush on him.’’

Donghyuk chuckled lightly. ‘’Ah, right. Good times.’’

‘’But Donghyuk?’’ Chaeyoung then called.

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’Barbeque later, okay?’’

He smiled as he nodded his head. ‘’Okay.’’

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Fall 2013 _

 

Donghyuk felt like he was going to fall asleep onto his feet. His eyelids were heavy, upper back and neck were in pain and even his shoes suddenly felt like they were chafing off the skin of his heels. However he wasn’t feeling dizzy and so believed he could manage few more hours studying, which kept him from going back to the dormitory. Therefore Donghyuk was heading to the library, walking along the campus yard by himself.

A familiar feeling stopped him, though, and his eyes widened as he brought his hand to touch his nose. Donghyuk hissed when he brought it away from his face for an inspection, seeing blood. He hastily took his back bag, awkwardly trying to balance it on his bent knee to dig out the pack of tissues from it with one hand, the other returned onto his bleeding nose. The balance failed and the bag dropped towards the ground. As a reaction Donghyuk grabbed onto it, making all his things fall out of the bag.

_ You should’ve just put it on the ground. You’re such an idiot, _ he internally scolded himself as he crouched down to collect his things with his only hand, feeling the other one getting completely smeared by the still flowing blood.

His task was even more difficult with his hand trembling and his vision was getting blurry as his eyes started watering. Donghyuk wasn’t embarrassed or sad, he was just frustrated to the point he could barely hold himself from having a public breakdown right there with his stuff spread all around.

To crown the situation fully, a faint breeze blew past making some of his papers glide away from him and Donghyuk couldn’t do anything but watch them go.

He then saw someone rushing to his papers, collecting them before they could get any further. When that someone walked over to him, Donghyuk bowed his head and mumbled out a weak thank you, still sloppily trying to stuff his things into his bag one by one.

‘’Oh. Are you having a nosebleed?’’ the person asked, making him look up. When he realized who the person was Donghyuk felt a faint heat rising to his face. It was the senior he had embarrassed a week earlier in the cafeteria by tackling him onto the ground with his chair. He had been sweet about it, though, as they had been in the bathroom trying to get the worst stains off his shirt, but Donghyuk still felt ashamed just from seeing him.

The man seemed unbothered, opening his own bag and handing him a pack of tissues. ‘’Here.’’

_ Idiot, you could’ve just taken your own tissues before packing. Now you got blood all over your hand. You’re such an idiot, Kim Donghyuk. _

‘’Thank you,’’ he said silently, taking out a few pieces and bringing them to his nose, hoping that the bleeding wouldn’t last too long.

With Donghyuk focused on his task, the senior collected his things and packed his back bag for him.

‘’Come. You should sit down for a while,’’ the man called gently, guiding Donghyuk by the arm and carrying his bag over to the nearest bench. Sitting down, the freshman leaned his head back with the tissues pressed tightly against his nose.

‘’Are you alright, though? Do you perhaps need to go see a doctor?’’

‘’N-no…’’ Donghyuk shook his head while avoiding to meet his gaze. ‘’I get these every now and then, it’s okay.’’

As much as Donghyuk was grateful for having someone give him a hand in a situation like that, he couldn’t help feeling his frustration growing even greater. Besides the fact that he was suddenly unable to function like a normal human he had now made someone else waste their time for him. How pathetic could he possibly seem for the guy?

He absolutely hated how much he sucked at controlling his emotions, and Donghyuk soon had to press his head down instead so that the senior couldn’t see as his eyes started watering again.

‘’Is everything okay?’’

That simple question from the man still standing near made it even more difficult not to break into a sobbing mess. Donghyuk was so tired. He was so  _ frustrated _ , now also embarrassed, and hopeless in keeping himself together in public.

‘’Yes, I’m alright now,’’ Donghyuk answered before clearing his throat. ‘’Thank you for your concern. You can leave me now. I’ll be fine.’’ He gave a bow towards his direction and squeezed his eyes shut, taking in deep breaths in attempt to calm himself down.

It was quiet after that, and when Donghyuk glanced up he noticed that the senior had indeed left. His back bag was left on the bench next to him. He was relieved yet felt like shit. Out of all the people, did it have to be the person Donghyuk had wished to avoid for the rest of the semester? The guy probably hated his guts by now.

_ Then again, who wouldn’t? _

The bleeding had stopped and Donghyuk threw the tissues into a trash bin next to him, pressing the balls of his hands against his eyes and leaned forward, landing his elbows on his knees. Tears were dropping at this point, and Donghyuk only hoped everyone nearby would be too busy to pay him any attention.

However not much later there was a sudden clicking sound next to him, as if a can had been opened, making Donghyuk lift his head slightly.

‘’Drink this.’’

He saw a can of some type of vitamin drink being handed to him. Donghyuk looked up to see the senior sitting on the bench and giving him an empathetic smile.

Swallowing, Donghyuk took the drink with his shaky hands, wiping his cheek dry of a tear with his arm. ‘’Thank you,’’ he mumbled and sniffled once.

‘’What has made you so upset?’’

He looked at the man, seeing sincere concern in his eyes.

‘’It’s just…’’ Donghyuk hesitated and lowered his eyes. Screw it, he then thought. The senior had witnessed him breaking down and sort of deserved an explanation. He had also gone to buy him a drink. ‘’I’ve been just really stressed lately and feeling like everything is falling apart. It’s coming out like this, I guess.’’

He decided to be honest about it. Maybe the guy would understand, being also a student in the one of the best universities of the country.

‘’I see. Aren’t you a freshman, though?’’ the man asked and Donghyuk nodded. ‘’Hasn’t anyone told you that you’re supposed to take it rather easy during your first year?’’

‘’Well yes, I’m aware. However…’’ he hesitated again. He wasn’t sure if it was the right time to vent out everything that had been weighing his shoulders for a while now. After all he didn’t even know the person he was sitting with. Yet the senior seemed like he was actually interested, expecting him to continue. Also, maybe it would also benefit Donghyuk to take off little of that weight by addressing it to someone.

‘’Truthfully, it’s because I worked so hard in order to get here. So I just keep thinking that if I don’t give my best effort here, all that work is going to be in vain. On top of that, I still can’t make myself feel like I fit in. Sometimes it feels like everything is too different.’’

‘’Did you use to live far from Seoul?’’ the senior asked curiously.

Donghyuk nodded after taking a sip of the drink. It tasted sweet. ‘’In a small village-like town at the south. I’ve been living in the countryside my whole life.’’

‘’Yet you still made it all the way here…’’ the man said with admiration in his voice. ‘’That’s really impressive.’’

‘’It is?’’

‘’Of course! I can’t imagine what it’s like to try adapting to a whole different environment so suddenly. It’s understandable you’re taking it so hard. I think that I would be dead by now if I were in your place.’’

Donghyuk chuckled lightly and sniffled again. His eyes had stopped emitting tears, fortunately.

‘’However,’’ the senior spoke. ‘’I still think you should let yourself off the hook. I’ve been there too, I kinda was like you when I started here. Yet now, I regret it for not allowing myself to take it easy back then. You just got away from the hellhole called high school, you don’t have to give your best performance right away. Besides, a nosebleed usually means that your body is begging you to change your lifestyle. Therefore you should at least consider your health.’’

‘’I know I should…’’ Donghyuk answered silently with his eyes down on his lap where his hands were holding the can. ‘’It’s just hard to ignore the feeling as if I’m going to fail right away if I don’t do my best.’’

 

They ended up talking on that bench for a good while. It didn’t take long before Donghyuk could fully relax with the senior’s presence and let out everything that had been putting him down recently. The man had an ability to make him feel as if they had known each other for years, listening closely to everything he had on his heart and giving his say every once in a while. It was the first time for Donghyuk to have a stranger caring for him that much. It was weird, honestly, yet it was all in all a nice feeling. 

‘’To be honest with you, I think I’ve figured out what’s the root of your problem,’’ the senior said softly when their conversation had been going on long enough for Donghyuk’s drink to be almost empty.

‘’Really?’’ Donghyuk asked and gazed over curiously.

‘’Yes. In my opinion you’re being way too rough on yourself. It’s like you can’t see your own potential. Even I feel a bit hurt by the way you’re talking about yourself.’’

He didn’t know what to say. Donghyuk just stared at the man’s face with his mouth slightly open.

‘’I’m going to tell you something, not sure if it’s going to shock you. But the thing is; you’re not the only person who is having struggles. Everyone here feels sometimes insecure and fear of failing. Everyone knows what it’s like when the pressure gets to you and everything is falling apart. Therefore you shouldn’t be mad at yourself for feeling the way you do. Don’t be embarrassed of being imperfect. You’re only a human just like the rest of us. It’s okay.’’

The freshman’s gaze dropped then. There was a new lump forming in his throat which Donghyuk cleared off and swallowed. He wasn’t sure if the senior could ever know how much those words meant to him. All this time, without acknowledging it himself, what he had needed the most had been someone to tell him that exact thing. That even though he was awkward both inside and out, he was still doing okay. Even if there was a chance that the senior was only pitying on him and just trying to make him feel better, it really affected Donghyuk big time.

‘’Wow, I…’’ Donghyuk started but his sentence ended fast as his voice cracked, and the boy huffed as he tried to control his emotions that were about to overwhelm him once again.

‘’Need one?’’ the senior asked, pulling out the pack of tissues. It made Donghyuk chuckle lightly.  _ That was smooth. _

He took a tissue and pressed it against the inner corners of his eyes while sitting back. ‘’I swear I’m not a mess like this all the time. Somehow you just happen to be there during my worst moments.’’

‘’I don’t think you’re a mess, though,’’ the senior shrugged his shoulders. ‘’And I hope that I’m not the force that is bringing you bad luck.’’

‘’I don’t think so…’’ Donghyuk uttered softly with a shy smile and a small shake of his head. He squeezed the tissue into a small ball and disposed it into the bin.

The senior also smiled before his eyebrows rose slightly as if he had just realized something. ‘’Oh, I think I still haven’t asked your name.’’

‘’Huh?’’ Donghyuk blinked confusedly. Then he smiled again as he realized that it was true. The man knew about the deepest bottoms of his heart by now, but nothing more. ‘’I’m Kim Donghyuk,’’ he said with a small bow of his head.

‘’Donghyuk,’’ the senior repeated with a nod. ‘’I am Song Yunhyeong.’’

‘’It’s, uhh, nice to meet you,’’ the freshman said with a stutter that made him a little sheepish.  _ What the heck was that? _

‘’Give me your phone,’’ Song Yunhyeong suddenly said, holding out his hand expectantly.

‘’W-why..?’’ Donghyuk asked as his eyelids blinked rapidly. The senior just nodded his head towards his open palm.

He digged his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and obediently handing it to Yunhyeong. With the senior’s eyes on his phone screen, Donghyuk got a chance to inspect the man’s features more properly. He couldn’t deny that Yunhyeong was handsome, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Donghyuk was as straight as an uncooked instant noodle. His face was exceptionally good looking, each feature having a wow-effect on on the freshman.

‘’Here…’’ the senior began while still watching his phone, making Donghyuk wake from his silent admiration. ‘’...is my Kakaotalk. You can contact me whenever you feel like it. It can be for any reason, okay?’’

Yunhyeong handed his phone back, Donghyuk feeling a slight blush when their eyes met. ‘’Are you… perhaps in some type of student council?’’

‘’Nope,’’ the senior answered nonchalantly.

‘’Oh?’’ Donghyuk’s eyebrows rose. ‘’Then why… all this?’’

Yunhyeong shrugged. ‘’You were upset and I was wishing I could do something to fix that. Are you feeling any better now?’’

Donghyuk nodded rapidly, making the man grin.

‘’That’s good then,’’ he said before bringing up his wrist to take a look at his watch. ‘’It’s a shame but I should get going. My study group has been waiting for a while now.’’

‘’Eh?!’’ Donghyuk’s eyes widened and he sat up fully straight. ‘’Are you saying that this whole time you should’ve been elsewhere?’’

Yunhyeong’s positive answer got only to the halfway before the freshman had hopped up onto his feet. ‘’I’m so sorry for wasting so much of your time!’’ he said with a deep bow.

‘’What?’’ the senior chuckled. ‘’Don’t apologize. I don’t recall you asking me to stay here. The group doesn’t revolve around me anyway.’’

Yunhyeong then stood up and adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag. ‘’Remember to contact me if you need to talk more, okay? I’ll be available any time.’’

‘’Okay. Well then, thank you for everything,’’ Donghyuk said with another bow, smiling at the man as he straightened back up.

‘’You’re very cute when you smile, Kim Donghyuk. I hope I get to see you smiling more,’’ Yunhyeong said. ‘’See you around.’’

‘’Yeah… See you.’’

The senior then turned and started walking away, leaving a flabbergasted Donghyuk to stare after him.

‘’Oh, and also,’’ Yunhyeong then called after suddenly stopping and turning back towards him. ‘’I advise you to go rest for now. The nosebleed, remember?’’

Donghyuk only nodded. Yunhyeong flashed him one more smile before continuing his way.

The freshman stood still, the drink still in his other hand and his phone in the other. With his eyes fixed tightly on Yunhyeong’s distancing form, Donghyuk slowly sat down and stared until the man had disappeared from view.

_ He called me cute. _

Donghyuk’s heart suddenly jumped, in a way it rarely did. To be exact, the man recalled having his heart jump like that only two times before. First it had done so when the cutest guy of his high school had asked him out, and the second time had been at the end of the said date when Donghyuk had experienced his first kiss.

_ Oh crap. _

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Present _

 

Yunhyeong had no doubts about getting used to prison life as time would go by.

One thing that he believed he wouldn’t be able adapt to, however, was the immediate wake up.

The slow tempo music that had his cellmates up on their feet within few seconds had no effect on him, as Yunhyeong didn’t even crack an eye open. Only when he was kicked by someone - surely either June or Hanbin - off his mattress, he was awake. He still clutched tightly on his pillow, pressing his face against it. It seemed that his cellmates were understanding enough not to disturb him any further, until to the point where Yunhyeong was dragged by the leg across the floor to where he was supposed to sit for the morning roll call.

 

‘’Watching you is like having a flashback of the time Chanu first arrived here. Not only you two look alike but you’re even acting the same.’’

Having just finished a long yawn, Yunhyeong gazed at Bobby who was sitting on the other side of the breakfast table.

‘’I think I was more chaotic,’’ Chanwoo mused before chugging a spoonful of rice.

‘’Nah, you were fine,’’ Bobby reassured.

‘’Chanwoo was definitely more chaotic,’’ Hanbin shrugged. Bobby opened his mouth to argue but Chanwoo reached out his hand to pat his chest, giving a calm nod while still chewing. Bobby ended up giving the jailbird only a squint before turning to look towards the window to the hallway.

‘’Oh! Lieutenant Dong, you’re back,’’ he called cheerfully, making the others follow his gaze to see a guard outside the cell.

The man stopped and smiled kindly. ‘’Yes I am.’’

‘’Did you have a good honeymoon?’’

Lieutenant Dong gave a short nod. ‘’No complaints.’’

‘’You must’ve missed us a lot, right?’’ Hanbin called.

The guard cleared his throat and gave another nod. ‘’Eat well guys,’’ he said before continuing his round.

Bobby sighed and leaned back against his palms. ‘’I’m so jealous. I may be a married man but never experienced such a thing as honeymoon.’’

‘’How did you even end up getting married at that age?’’ Chanwoo asked.

‘’Haven’t I ever told you the story?’’ Bobby arched an eyebrow and Chanwoo shook his head. ‘’Ah well, it’s actually quite a funny one. Basically, one night when we were drunk Jaehee and I suddenly decided that getting married sounded like a good idea. That’s all it needed. We had an unofficial ceremony and dragged a random couple to be there in order to have the required amount of witnesses. That time we didn’t even have rings, so we went to see my tattoo artist friend instead.’’ He raised his left hand where there was a simple black line inked around his ring finger. It seemed to have faded quite a bit.

‘’Back then we didn’t have enough age to have it legalized, but we considered us married since then. Siyoon had already been born when we made it official,’’ Bobby continued with a shrug before gazing up thoughtfully and scratching at the back of his neck. ‘’Since it’s 2018… it’s been almost nine years now.’’

‘’Woah…’’ Chanwoo blinked. ‘’How long had you been together when you did that?’’

‘’As if I could remember. I’m pretty sure it was less than six months.’’

‘’Awesome.’’

‘’I’m going to start a petition to have these type of lovey-dovey topics removed from the breakfast table,’’ Hanbin suddenly announced.

‘’Congratulations, your petition has gained zero signatures. Suck it up dimwit,’’ Bobby replied.

_ Slam! _

The four cellmates slowly turned their heads to stare at Yunhyeong still sitting cross legged on his spot, having landed his forehead hard onto the surface of the table. No one said anything for a while, just staring blankly at his unmoving form.

‘’Did he pass out?’’ Chanwoo whispered after a while.

‘’He didn’t pass out. That’s probably just adaptation depression,’’ Hanbin answered silently.

June was the first of them to move, slowly reaching his hand out to take one of Yunhyeong’s unfinished bowls of food but Bobby was quick to swat it away.

 

‘’You dumbass, can’t you do it properly?’’ Bobby’s irritated complaint filled the cell.

‘’I am doing it properly, bitch!’’ Hanbin retorted back as loudly.

‘’No you’re not!’’ Bobby leaned forward to grab at the jailbird’s arms. ‘’You need to hold them tighter so they can’t move, that’s the whole point of you being there.’’

‘’I was holding them tightly enough, princess.’’

‘’Make sure you do it properly this time,’’ Bobby ordered before getting back down to continue his situps, Hanbin grumbling silently to himself before hugging at the man’s bent legs as closely as possible.

At that moment Chanwoo finished with the dishes he was assigned to wash, wiping his hands onto his trousers as he got down to sit at his usual spot on the floor.

‘’Ah, right,’’ Yunhyeong called when he suddenly snapped out of his trance of staring at a wall with an expressionless gaze. He turned his head towards the younger male. ‘’I promised you to help you with studying, didn’t I?’’

‘’Oh yeah, you did,’’ Chanwoo nodded nonchalantly. ‘’But it’s not the time for that yet. You’re unable to do much as for now.’’

Yunhyeong only raised a questioning brow at that and Chanwoo sighed calmly.

‘’It’s now your…’’ he paused for a moment to count with his fingers, ‘’...fourth day here. You’re still learning to get along. You’re yet to get used to living in this small room and to us living with you. Your thoughts are way too overwhelmed at this early point. Probably in two or three days you make to the crying point.’’

Yunhyeong frowned confusedly.

‘’It won’t last too long, I think you’re going to accept your fate pretty quickly. Once you get there things are going to get a lot easier and eventually you’ll be able to think about things apart from the fact that you’re in jail. And that’s when we can get back to my study problems. I will support you through the process. Fighting.’’ Chanwoo finished his narrative with a supportive gesture before reaching for his book in a cabinet and opening it.

‘’Oh,’’ Yunhyeong nodded slowly yet still felt a little confused. He was then distracted by the sight of June in his corner suddenly ripping off a page of his notebook and crumbling it before throwing it over his shoulder.

‘’You’re fucking losing the hold!’’ Bobby suddenly rasped out.

‘’You keep pulling your legs!’’ Hanbin answered.

‘’That’s the goddamn point, bastard!’’

‘’Whatever. I’m not doing it anymore,’’ Hanbin announced sulkily and let go of the other man before crossing his arms onto his chest.

‘’Chanwoo,’’ Bobby then called with a significantly softer tone. The younger man obediently set down his book and scooted over. Wrapping his arms around Bobby’s legs, he nodded before the man started doing his situps in a rapid pace and started counting aloud.

 

‘’Are you religious, perhaps?’’

The sudden question made Yunhyeong look up from his book at Bobby who was laying on the floor.

‘’Not really,’’ he answered.

‘’Hmm, okay. I was just wondering since because it’s Sunday, there’s going to be this Catholic event Chanwoo and I go to.’’

‘’I’m not religious either, but it’s really fun. Well at least compared to being here,’’ Chanwoo said with a shrug while wiping some of the counters with a rag.

‘’I see,’’ Yunhyeong nodded slowly. ‘’I’m fine though,’’ he added with a gentle smile.

‘’I have no doubts of that. Anyway, I guess it’s starting soon,’’ Bobby mused aloud as he got up and headed to the bathroom.

He wasn’t wrong with his guess, as only a few minutes later Officer Lee arrived and opened the cell door.

‘’Let’s see. Bobby and Chanwoo, your Christian hour is about to start. Hanbin, you have your Buddhist event later, right? June, not anything this week, either? I maybe should stop even asking, since there aren’t any writing events scheduled, am I right? Oh, Song Yunhyeong, you can look into the weekend opportunities we have here, there are a lot. Sometimes you guys have more fun weekend than I do… Anyway, let’s go you two!’’ the man rambled with his file in his hand as Bobby and Chanwoo made their way out of the cell.

‘’He really likes talking, doesn’t he?’’ Hanbin mumbled with his head on Yunhyeong’s thigh where it had been resting for a good while already. Yunhyeong just gave him a glance before returning back to his book without a word.

 

It wasn’t too much later when the beep from the door was heard again, and Yunhyeong lifted his head to see that Officer Lee was back.

‘’Yunhyeong, you have a visitor. Your lawyer is here.’’

‘’Oh?’’ he blinked a few times. ‘’Oh! Yes, right.’’ He made a move to get up, but halted as he realized Hanbin’s was still having his head on him. Slowly, he scooted away from his spot, settling the book to where his thigh had been and gave Hanbin’s head a gentle pat before heading out.

 

 

The door clicked shut behind him and Yunhyeong walked over to sit down on a chair. The visitations held with lawyers didn’t seem to have a time limit, he noticed as the machine on surface in front of him didn’t flash a red number to tell the remaining minutes. 

Lawyer Kang was seated on the other side of the glass. He was smiling as usual, but a hint of uneasiness couldn’t go hidden on his features.

‘’If it makes things somehow better, this is my first time to meet a client in prison,’’ the man said.

Yunhyeong gave a faint smile. ‘’In case you’re concerned that I’m doubting your skills as a lawyer, you have nothing to worry about.’’

Lawyer Kang’s smile broadened for a second as he nodded. ‘’And you’re still my client, I haven’t given up this case, in case  _ you’re  _ concerned. Anyway, how have you been?’’

‘’I’m fine,’’ Yunhyeong answered trying to sound as reassuring as possible, still seeing the other man’s eyes glancing at the patch on his temple that the prison doctor had told him not to take off just yet. ‘’Really.’’

His lawyer only nodded slowly. He probably had talked with Donghyuk or his family after their visitation, Yunhyeong concluded.

‘’I’m glad if that’s really the case.’’

Yunhyeong’s gaze then dropped slowly. ‘’So, about that… what are my chances? Of getting out of here?’’

Asking that somehow felt like being tested at the hospital after having all textbook symptoms of a vicious illness and sitting down to hear the results. As much as it was obvious to be hearing bad news, a little glimpse of hope was still alive until the diagnosis would be out. And sometimes the diagnosis would be more horrifying. The sickness would stay the same, but the official knowledge of it would kill the hope.

Yunhyeong knew he couldn’t run from his diagnosis, either.

‘’I know you’ve probably been more optimistic about it for my family,’’ he added before lawyer Kang got the chance to answer. ‘’After all, I did ask you to do that. But please be honest with me.’’

Lawyer Kang slowly leaned forward and crossed his fingers on the table. His smile had finally faded which was something Yunhyeong had witnessed only a few times before. He knew that it only meant one thing.

‘’Right now, it’s not good, Yunhyeong.’’

His lawyer watched his reaction carefully. There was none, however, and the male gave a sigh.

‘’As for now, there is pretty much nothing that can help us. If we were to have a retrial, I wouldn’t have anything more to prove your innocence. Of course, we could demand a shorter sentence but…’’

Yunhyeong swallowed, gaze dropping. ‘’But that would go through only if we pleaded guilty, right..?’’

The other man nodded slowly. ‘’It wouldn’t be certain that it would work, either. And that would only take just a few years off the sentence.’’

Yunhyeong shut his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t feeling as devastated as one could conclude. After all, he had been expecting to hear that. Like a patient waiting for the doctor to tell him that he would only have a few years to live. Despite all the  _ don’t worry _ ’s and  _ you’ll be fine _ ’s, Yunhyeong still had that little devil on his shoulder telling him that his chances were low.

As the man remained silent for a good moment, Lawyer Kang spoke again. ‘’All we can do is to wait for more evidence to appear. It’s not impossible for that to happen, though, I’ll be looking into it. I am truly sorry that I can’t do much more than that for now.’’

‘’No,’’ Yunhyeong was quick to respond to that. ‘’Please don’t apologize for anything. The fact that you believe that I’m not a murderer is enough.’’

‘’Of course. There is nothing that could convince me otherwise.’’

‘’Does Donghyuk know?’’ Yunhyeong suddenly asked. ‘’About how hopeless it is?’’

His lawyer cleared his throat. ‘’Well, I haven’t told him about the circumstances as straightforwardly. He indeed is more optimistic.’’

‘’Good. For as long as you can, could you please keep him like that? I know he hasn’t fully come in terms with all of this and…’’ the man inhaled deep and had a brief pause. ‘’It would devastate him.’’

‘’Of course,’’ Lawyer Kang’s smile finally returned. ‘’You really care for each other. Even my heart feels warm by the two of you.’’

Yunhyeong smiled too. ‘’I really was planning on spending the rest of my life with him, so…’’

‘’What the hell is up with that past tense? It still can happen. It  _ will _ happen, you can count on me!’’

The man was able to laugh at that a bit. For a moment his lawyer had seemed genuinely upset by his words.

‘’Anyway,’’ Lawyer Kang then spoke. ‘’It seems that Donghyuk is diligently going to help me to get you out of jail. He’s absolutely determined about it.’’

Yunhyeong sighed soundlessly. ‘’If he gets a little over the top with that, do tell me so I can ask him to take it easier. I know you have other clients and things keeping you busy-’’

‘’It’s nothing like that,’’ his lawyer cut him off with another smile. ‘’I may have other clients but you’re still my number one priority. Also, Donghyuk is doing great. I’m actually glad to have such a smart and insightful person by my side in this. Honestly I think he should have become a law student.’’

‘’He would have shined on any path he could’ve chosen,’’ Yunhyeong said, his gaze dropping slightly. ‘’He’s really impressive.’’

‘’I have noticed that, too,’’ Lawyer Kang uttered with a soft tone. ‘’Therefore, you should keep your chin up. You just need to remember that you’re not alone.’’

‘’Thank you. For everything. And you shouldn’t worry for me either. Once I get used to things in here it’s going to be easy, so don’t feel pressured. I don’t blame you for me being here, I hope you still know that.’’

His lawyer took a deep inhale before nodding. ‘’I’m going to do my best with your case. No matter if it takes a few months or several years, I won’t give up until the truth is out.’’

Yunhyeong swallowed and lifted his gaze to meet with the man’s. ‘’You’re a really good person, lawyer Kang.’’

‘’So are you, Yunhyeong.’’


	6. The tattooed man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings: Violence (including domestic), bullying, drug usage, attempt of suicide
> 
> Please notice that in case you're not comfortable with any of the mentioned themes, this chapter only includes June's flashback and isn't crucial considering the main plot of this fic!  
> -  
> This is definitely going to be the harshest chap of this entire story, I have never written anything like this so it was quite a journey. Almost 18k words for one chapter, I really outdid myself here.

_ Winter 1997 _

 

It was the day of much anticipated first snow. The big white flakes were falling from the sky, calling the people outside to have fun and celebrate the newly started season of the year.

Inside one of the houses in Southern part of the country, a small boy was laying on his stomach on the floor and watching outside the window, staring at the falling snow curiously. In front of the boy, named Koo Junhoe, was a piece of paper and several crayons spread around.

A small thud made him turn his head to see his mother step out of the bedroom, a stale red bathrobe on her.

"Son," she said tiredly, making her way to the kitchen without a single bit of eye contact. "Get mommy some medicine. Mommy's head hurts.’’

Obediently Junhoe scrambled up onto his feet and walked over to where his mother had taken a seat. "Give me money then," he said breezily. 

"Money?" his mother raised her brows, her dark circled eyes glaring at Junhoe.

"So I can go to the store and buy you medicine."

She then laughed, voice low and unamused. "No, you dumb child," she spoke as her hand gripped onto her son's chin. She leaned closer as if to make her words more clear to him. "Mommy's medicine."

Junhoe shook his head, despite the fact that his mother was still holding him. "That's not medicine, mommy. It's what makes your head hurt."

The woman sighed deep, her hand letting go of him only to use it to shove Junhoe aside as she stood. It was harsh enough for the child to lose his balance and fall onto the floor.

"How stupid can you be, not able to fulfill such a simple request," she muttered whilst making her way towards a cupboard and opening it to fish out a green glass bottle. 

"I am not stupid!" Junhoe opposed as he got back up.

His mother ignored his words. The woman said nothing as she sat back down to pour the content of the bottle to a small glass. Biting back his disappointment, the child went back to his paper, laying onto the floor on his stomach to continue his drawing.

"Is daddy coming back home soon?" Junhoe asked after a while, frowning as he lifted his head to see his mother lighting up a cigarette.

"Hopefully not. You know how long he stays away when he's off to fuck some whores."   
He felt the tips of his ears redden, knowing that those were dirty words and not liking to hear them. Junhoe stared at his mother, seeing her blowing out a cloud of smoke before sighing deep and leaning forward to rest her face against her palm.

His mom always looked so sad. The corners of her lips were constantly curving downwards and she had gotten so much wrinkles lately. Junhoe remembered faintly what she had used to be like before. There was a memory of her in a dress - a red one but brighter than the bathrobe she was wearing now - smiling happily while swaying with a tune of a happy song.

_ ‘’Junhoe, come dance with mommy!’’ _

She hadn’t been dancing for a long time. Or wearing pretty dresses. His dad had said that it was because she was sick, but Junhoe couldn’t understand. His dad was always yelling at her and never took her to a hospital.

The child looked back down at his drawing. It was a house. A big house. When he’d grow up, Junhoe would build big houses like that for people to live in. He would also build one, the biggest house in the world, for his mother where they could live together.

Junhoe smiled, bringing his pencil to draw a few more windows.

 

  
His dad came back home the following night, and for some reason he was angry again. Junhoe stood in his tiny room, in front of a door which let a stripe of light inside as it was slightly ajar.

‘’You fucking bitch!’’ his dad yelled, followed by a loud thud and a scream of his mother. She said something incoherent, then there was a slap and another thud.

‘’I hate when you make me do this. Why do you always make me do this?  _ Why _ ?!’’ More thuds, more slaps, more screams. Junhoe clutched his hands into tight fists, standing there and sobbing. Why was he hurting mom again? Mom was sick, she shouldn’t be hit.

‘’Where’s the boy?’’ his dad asked some time later.

‘’Leave him out of this!’’ the woman cried and then Junhoe could head heavy footsteps approaching his room. The boy ran fast to his closet, climbing in and shutting the doors right when his dad stormed inside.

‘’Junhoe,’’ he called, standing in the middle of the room with unsteady legs. ‘’Why aren’t you greeting your father, huh?!’’

The child was holding his breath. There was a brief silence, but then the closet doors flew open. Junhoe was screaming as he was harsly dragged out.

‘’No, daddy please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry daddy!’’

 

  
‘’Alright, the weather is a little cold so we need to keep ourselves warm by moving. Remember to play fair.’’

‘’Yes!’’ the group of children answered before the teacher threw a ball in the middle of the field, all the kids excitedly running towards it at the same time.

Only Junhoe stayed in his place, standing still with hands in tight fists at his sides.

‘’Junhoe, go help your team! You can do it,’’ the teacher called encouragely. The boy took only a couple of hesitant steps towards where the others were playing before stopping again. He missed how the teacher kept staring at him concernedly.

Then the game turned, the kids running towards Junhoe’s direction instead. The boy tensed as the others ran past him. One of them collided slightly with him, making Junhoe yelp out in pain and fall down.

‘’Everyone, stop!’’ the teacher ordered before jogging over to the boy who was sitting on the ground and holding his arm with a painful face.

‘’I didn’t even push him that hard!’’ the other kid defended in fear of being scolded.

‘’Junhoe, does it hurt a lot?’’ the teacher called gently. He didn’t reply, only pressed his head down and lightly rubbed at his arm.

The teacher gave a sigh before turning his attention to the other kids. ‘’Everyone, continue the game. I will take Junhoe inside and then come back, alright?’’

  
  


‘’I heard you got hurt while playing with other kids. Where does it hurt?’’

Junhoe glanced up at the woman who spoke in a soft voice. He shyly brought his hand to his arm. ‘’Here. But… only a little,’’ he whispered with his face down.

‘’Your arm?’’ the woman questioned and the boy nodded. ‘’Can I see?’’

He looked up again, visibly hesitating before shaking his head.

The teacher leaned a little closer. ‘’Junhoe, if you let me see I can help you to make it not hurt. You can put your coat right back on if you feel cold, okay?’’

Junhoe took another moment of hesitation before finally giving a slow nod. ‘’Okay…’’

His teacher gently reached forward to help the child pull his arm out of the coat sleeve, then from his hoodie.

The woman couldn’t help her expression as the boy’s skin appeared to her vision. The entire upper arm was bruised dark, the color of it telling her that it hadn’t gotten that way during the day. It had gotten like that earlier.

She cleared her throat, giving her best effort to keep her voice gentle and stable. ‘’How did this happen, Junhoe?’’

‘’I… I don’t know,’’ the child muttered with pouted lips and eyes casted down.

‘’Are you sure? It must’ve hurt a lot.’’

He didn’t answer.

‘’Junhoe, is everything okay at home?’’

The boy frowned, pressing his head even lower. ‘’Can I put my coat back on?’’ he asked after a long moment of silence.

His teacher nodded, swallowing heavily. ‘’Yes, of course.’’

  
  


Junhoe was a little startled when he heard the sound of doorbell a few days later. Nobody ever rang their doorbell, no one ever came to visit.

Still, the boy abandoned his drawing and got up onto his feet to answer it. He reached up to the knob and opened the door only enough for him to peek out.

He saw a woman with kind features smiling down at him. She crouched down to be at the same level with the child and gave a wave. ‘’Hello, Junhoe.’’

‘’How do you know my name?’’ the boy asked surprisedly. He didn’t remember ever seeing her before.

‘’I have heard about you,’’ the woman answered softly. ‘’Junhoe, by chance, is your mom or dad home?’’

‘’Mommy is sleeping.’’

‘’She is? Can you try waking her up? I need to talk with your mommy for a bit.’’

‘’Okay,’’ the boy nodded and obediently turned from the door, walking across the hallway and silently opening the door to his mom’s bedroom. As he walked in, Junhoe accidentally kicked his foot against a glass bottle laying on the ground as the closed curtains made the room quite dark. He whispered a silent ‘ouch’ before making his way to the bed.

‘’Mommy,’’ Junhoe called. The woman didn’t react, however. His mom always told him not to disturb her when she was sleeping and the child hoped that she wouldn’t be angry at him. ‘’Mommy!’’ he called again, bringing his small hand to shake her by the forearm. His mom stirred, slowly opening her eyes and giving her son a frown.

‘’What?’’

‘’There’s a lady at the door.’’

‘’Wha-’’

‘’Mrs. Koo?’’

Junhoe turned around and saw that the woman had made her way to the entrance of the bedroom. She took something from her pocket which Junhoe didn’t know what it was, and held it up.

‘’I am Kim Mirae from Child protective service. Do you have a moment?’’

His mother stared at her for a good moment of silence before she slowly sat up and brought her hand to swipe it across her face. ‘’I suppose, then. If you’ve come all the way here.’’

As the woman started pulling on her red bathrobe, Junhoe walked out of the room to see that the lady hadn’t come alone. There was also a man with her and they were accompanied by two police officers. The child was confused seeing them. Weren’t policemen supposed to be chasing bad people?

‘’Hi Junhoe,’’ the man called and crouched down. He was wearing a blue tie. ‘’My name is Mr. Choi.’’

The child didn’t reply.

‘’Perhaps, could you show me your room?’’

‘’Go show him your room, Junhoe,’’ his mother ordered with an emotionless tone as she stepped out of the bedroom, heading to seat herself at the kitchen table with the woman following her.

‘’I-it is this way,’’ Junhoe muttered and started leading the man towards his own small bedroom. He walked inside and turned around, seeing that one of the two policemen was accompanying Mr. Choi. The man followed his gaze and gave the boy a toothy smile. ‘’Have you ever met a police officer before?’’

‘’No, sir.’’

‘’Are you nervous?’’ the man inquired and Junhoe gave a hesitant nod. ‘’You shouldn’t be. Do you know what police does?’’

‘’They take bad people to prison,’’ the boy answered.

‘’Sometimes, they do. However, do you know what their main job is?’’ Mr. Choi crouched down again as Junhoe shook his head. ‘’They protect the good people. And I’ve heard many things about you, and I know you’re also one of the good people. Therefore you should never be scared of the police, alright?’’

Junhoe moved his gaze onto the officer who gave him a gentle smile while standing next to the entrance to his room. Suddenly he didn’t seem as scary as before. The boy looked back at Mr. Choi and nodded his head.

‘’Good. Do you know what you wanna be when you grow up?’’

The child’s face lit up instantly at the question. ‘’Yes! I am going to build houses.’’

‘’Houses? What kind of houses?’’ the man asked interestedly.

‘’Big ones! Like these,’’ Junhoe skipped over to point at a drawing attached to his room’s wall.

‘’Wow! With towers and everything?’’ Mr. Choi raised his brows and the child nodded excitedly. ‘’Those are really nice looking houses indeed, Junhoe.’’

 

‘’Do you already know what we’re here for?’’ Miss Kim asked as she sat down opposite from Junhoe’s mother. She didn’t reply, only sighed as she picked a cigarette and lit it up. Miss Kim raised an eyebrow in somewhat degrading manner.

‘’Junhoe’s teachers at the kindergarden have been really worried for your son, Mrs. Koo,’’ the woman told. ‘’He isn’t paying attention, doesn’t like bonding with the other kids and sometimes even falls asleep in the middle of the day. And even though you have been informed about these things by the said teachers, there hasn’t been any sort of change in your son’s behavior over time.’’

She cleared her throat. ‘’What made us come here today, however, is that Junhoe was seen with severe bruises on his arm. It sparked our suspicion that while he’s here, your son is being abused.’’ Miss Kim brought her forearms on the surface of the table, crossing her hands as she leaned forward. ‘’If my partner confirms these suspicions after having a talk with Junhoe, we will leave with your child. Do you understand?’’

‘’Yeah, I do understand. I understand that you’re only doing your job, which includes coming to people’s homes uninvited and sticking your nose to their own business,’’ Junhoe’s mother stated bluntly after blowing out a cloud of smoke.

‘’You’ve been drinking, Mrs. Koo,’’ the other woman said. ‘’Do you perhaps drink on the regular? In front of your son?’’

‘’Just do what you’re here for and leave.’’

Miss Kim stared hard into Junhoe’s mother’s eyes almost challengingly. ‘’We will.’’

 

‘’Junhoe,’’ Mr. Choi said as he crouched down in front of the boy. He had managed to sit the child on the edge of his bed. ‘’Do you feel safe at home?’’

Junhoe only stared. He was a little confused by the question. And also hesitant.

The man then smiled. ‘’I am your friend, okay? You can be honest with me.’’

‘’I…’’ the boy muttered, thinking about it. He liked it when his mom wasn’t drinking her  _ medicine _ . She would read some of Junhoe’s books to him. ‘’I feel safe when I’m with mommy.’’

‘’Okay,’’ Mr. Choi nodded. ‘’What about your dad?’’

Junhoe pressed his head down. His dad was rarely home. But when he was, he was either sleeping or yelling at mom. Or at Junhoe.

‘’What’s with your arm?’’ the man suddenly asked, making the boy raise his gaze. He had unconsciously brought his own hand to rub at his arm while thinking about his dad.

‘’Nothing,’’ the boy lied.

‘’Someone at your school told me you got hurt while playing football a few days ago.’’

‘’I fell a little,’’ Junhoe whispered, pouting.

‘’Could you show me your arm?’’ the man asked carefully. Junhoe didn’t understand why he was suddenly asking that. The boy looked at his eyes before glancing at the policeman still standing next to the door. He was protecting him, Junhoe remembered.

Hesitantly, the boy finally nodded. He unzipped his hoodie down enough to slide his arm out of the sleeve, holding it out in the man’s view. The bruise had gotten lighter from the day his teacher had seen it, but it was still clear and big.

Mr. Choi stared at it for a moment before turning to look at Junhoe until he finally lifted his eyes to meet his gaze.

‘’Junhoe, did your dad do that?’’

The child instantly lowered his head, shifting on the bed and hiding his arm back into the sleeve. He refused to speak.

_ You can not tell anyone, okay? Daddy is very sorry for what he did, and we should forgive him. Don’t tell anyone, Junhoe. _

 

‘’It’s okay, you can tell me. I promise nothing bad is going to happen,’’ Mr. Choi uttered with a soft, calm tone.

There was a really long silence.

‘’Mommy said that daddy is sorry,’’ the child finally told.

‘’For hurting you?’’ the man inquired and Junhoe gave a short nod. Mr. Choi then turned his head towards the police who turned to leave the room before returning his attention to the boy. ‘’Okay, then. Thank you for telling me, Junhoe.’’

  
In the kitchen, the approaching footsteps sparked the two women’s attention. 

‘’The boy has admitted being assaulted by his father,’’ the police officer said.

Junhoe’s mother gave a long, tired sigh and took another puff of her cigarette. Miss Kim gave her a look and tilted her head.

‘’By chance, is your husband abusive towards you also, Mrs. Koo? Would you like us to contact a shelter for victims of domestic a-’’

‘’I want you out of my home as soon as possible, with or without the child.’’

Miss Kim swallowed slightly before giving a slow nod. ‘’We will have to take Junhoe with us and do more proper investigation about his situation. It is highly possible he will be moved to live in foster care.’’

‘’Whatever you say,’’ Junhoe’s mother answered with a lack of emotion in her voice.

The other woman stood, making her way out of the room. Just as she reached the hallway she saw the child skipping out of his bedroom, Mr. Choi following behind.

‘’Did you pack his things?’’ she whispered as she approached her colleague. The man gave a sigh.

‘’He doesn’t really… seem to have anything. Even his closet only has a few stuffy old clothes,’’ Mr. Choi shook his head.

‘’Mommy, are they leaving?’’ Junhoe asked, having arrived to the kitchen and watched as his mother slowly stood. The boy followed behind her as she proceeded out of the kitchen as well. The two policemen were now standing at the door.

‘’Junhoe,’’ Miss Kim called gently. ‘’You have to come with us.’’

The child didn’t respond and glanced up at his mom who was rubbing a temple with her hand.

‘’Everything will be okay, Junhoe,’’ Mr. Choi said in turn. ‘’But you cannot stay at here right now.’’

‘’Why not?’’ he asked instantly, voice wavering.

The man sighed and looked over at his coworker who only gave a nod.

‘’We need to go now. Just remember that everything will be okay,’’ he then said and started approaching him.

‘’I want to stay with mommy!’’ he protested but no one racted. He attempted to run away but a firm hand that grabbed onto his wrist prevented him. ‘’Mommy, please!’’ he begged as he tried to pull himself off the woman’s grip. In the next second Mr. Choi had reached him and got down to pick up the child.

Now it was Junhoe’s turn to grab onto his mom’s hand, refusing to let go. ‘’No! I don’t want to! Mommy!’’ he was already crying, screaming his protests loudly. He lost the hold of his mother’s hand and reached towards the woman with both hands over Mr. Choi’s shoulder who was proceeding towards the door. Junhoe’s mother didn’t say a word, just watched the scene with tired eyes.

It would be last time for Junhoe to ever see his mother.

_ ‘’Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!!’’ _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Spring 2007 _

Junhoe wrote down a number to a blackboard and turned his head towards his teacher expectantly, seeing the man eyeing his answer and then nodding his head with a proud smile. ‘’You’re absolutely correct.’’

The boy smirked slightly, placing down the chalk and walking back to his seat, pretending not to hear his classmates whispers of ‘ _ how could he know that?’ _

Junhoe really enjoyed going to school. His exceptionally great skills in math and sciences had been manifested fast ever since he had started the first grade of elementary, and the boy was very passionate when it came to art classes. Now that he was in middle school already, he kept receiving lots of praises from his teachers and got told that one day he would become something great.

  
  
The worst part of each of Junhoe’s days was definitely the one he had to return home from school. He was now living in his third foster home which was most definitely the one he hated the most. Each time that hideous house appeared in front of him Junhoe felt like he could see a bunch of dark clouds right above it, no matter the actual weather.

He was well aware that no one liked him there - not even the couple he was supposed to call his foster  _ parents.  _ It was obvious they had no interest in the kids they took in and just wanted the money they were given for offering them a place to live. The other kids had been treating him like an outcast ever since his arrival, and Junhoe had already reached the point he no longer cared. He didn’t need friends, all he needed was the ability to make it through until he could move out of there.

Junhoe had never been greeted when getting inside the house. That time wasn’t an exception, and the boy was making his way towards his bedroom when - for his genuine surprise - someone called for him. He recognized the low voice belonging to the head of the house who he had been told to address as  _ Sir Wang _ , as ridiculous as it sounded, and Junhoe silently walked across the hallway to the living room.

Sir Wang was sitting in front of the coffee table, rolling a cigarette. He had probably been expecting Junhoe to be back around that time, after all the man had called him by the name without even seeing who had got inside.

‘’Yes?’’ Junhoe asked with an uninterested tone as he had made his way to the middle of the room and was standing in front of the man.

Sir Wang took his time before speaking, making the boy wait in his spot for a while before finally opening his mouth without bothering to look up at the boy.

‘’This morning two fifty-thousand won bills were taken from my wallet. Do you happen to know anything about that?’’

Junhoe frowned at that. ‘’I don’t,’’ he answered with honesty.

The man sighed and brought his newly rolled cigarette to his lips. Sir Wang was always smoking indoors and Junhoe hated it as the smell sometimes gave him headaches which distracted his studying.

‘’We made the rules of his house clear for you back when you moved here, didn’t we?’’ Sir Wang stated after lighting up the cig. ‘’Yet you are breaking two of them right now. Not to touch other people’s property and not to lie.’’

‘’I am not lying,’’ Junhoe argued with irritation in his voice. ‘’I didn’t take anything from anyone.’’

‘’Minjae told me he saw you when you were stealing from me.’’

The words made the boy roll his eyes. ‘’Of course, you’re instantly going to believe him whenever he opens his mouth.’’ It was risky to talk back like that, but would that even make anything different? Junhoe was going to get treated like crap anyway. ‘’I didn’t steal your fucking money.’’

‘’Language!’’

‘’What’s the point of you even asking me whether I know anything if you’re already decided that I’m a thief?’’

Sir Wang moved fast, showing his hand into his pocket and slamming two yellow bills onto the coffee table.

‘’I checked your room when you were in school and found these under your pillow. Anything to say about that?’’

_ Yes. If I was actually stealing one hundred thousand won I would definitely fIgure a better place to hide it. _

Junhoe decided not to say that one aloud, though. He was busy clenching his teeth in pure annoyance as he instantly figured out what was going on. Minjae, who had taken a special liking in making Junhoe’s life in the house a living hell, had apparently found a new method for tormenting him. The boy must’ve known he could set up Junhoe as a thief, given that Sir Wang and his wife trusted him more than any other kid of the house. Whereas Junhoe was instantly dislikeable and untrustable, even though he had never done anything against the house rules before.

 

‘’I am very disappointed in you, Junhoe,’’ Sir Wang sighed with a shake of his head. ‘’All this time I really made an effort so that I could trust you.’’

 

The boy remained quiet, focusing on suppressing the tears of anger that had started to well up in his eyes. He really needed every ounce of his self control not to go and barge into Minjae’s room to beat the crap out of him. The boy had really been testing his limits for the past weeks, no matter how hard Junhoe tried to ignore him and pretend that he wasn’t bothered by his constant torment. But it seemed like Minjae wasn’t going to stop until getting a reaction he was wishing for. Until he had finally broken Junhoe’s tough shield.

‘’Do you have anything to say to me?’’ the man then questioned and blew another cloud of smoke towards the boy’s direction, much likely expecting to hear an apology of any sort.

‘’I didn’t steal it,’’ Junhoe answered bluntly.

Sir Wang gave a dry chuckle at that. He simply nodded and spoke again. ‘’Alright then. Until I tell you otherwise, the only place you’re allowed to go from now on is school. You’re grounded, Junhoe. Also, don’t join the rest of us for dinner tonight. Someone will bring you cup noodles to eat after we’re done. I will be cutting your weekly allowance until you provide me a proper apology for lying and taking something that’s mine. Go to your room.’’

‘’I said that I didn’t steal it,’’ Junhoe insisted. ‘’Someone put the money under my pillow to set me up. Why am I the one getting punished?’’

‘’Someone did?’’ the man asked almost mockingly. ‘’Do you have anything to prove it with?’’

Prove it. Of course. The situation was going to end up like all those times Junhoe had tried to tell on Minjae and the other boys. Sir Wang would call for Minjae and ask for his side of the story. Minjae would deny everything. Sir Wang would believe Minjae. Junhoe would be called a liar.

Without a word, the boy turned on his heel and walked back to the hallway, heading to his room. He stopped momentarily as behind one of the doors he could hear several people’s muffled giggles. Minjae and his little helpers had probably had their ears pressed against the wood and listened to the entire conversation. Junhoe was able to suppress the desire to give the door a violent kick and he walked over to his room and shut the door behind him.

After throwing his school bag onto the foot of his bed Junhoe pressed his hands onto his eyes hard as if in an attempt to physically push the tears back into the sockets. He didn’t want to cry, he  _ refused  _ to cry, even though the anger and frustration in him were getting too much. Crying would mean that he was giving those assholes exactly what they wanted. Junhoe was better than them. He had to be.

Letting out a few silent sniffles he couldn’t hold back, Junhoe determinedly took a few of his books from his bag and walked over to his desk.  _ Just ignore it. You can do that. _

Gritting his teeth together tightly, Junhoe took his pencil and started to do his homework.

 

He was having a dream of a ship. Junhoe was standing on the deck, leaning over the railing and looking down at the water below him. There was a giant shoal of colorful fish swimming beside the ship as it glided forward along a sapphire blue water. The boy smiled. He knew he was going somewhere safe.

But when he raised his head he saw that in a distance, from underwater, another ship with dark sails suddenly rose up. The cloudless sky suddenly turned stormy, and the colorful fish had scooted away. Junhoe saw a bright flash from the direction of the other ship, and after that he registered a giant cannon ball flying towards his direction. It hit him in the stomach, and it hurt so bad that the boy’s eyes opened wide, seeing the dark ceiling of his room above him.

He was awake, but he could still feel the pain on his body. Trying to move his hand onto his aching abdomen, Junhoe realized he couldn’t budge. It was the only thing he managed to register before he felt another strong hit on his body.

Attempting to make a sound, Junhoe felt a hand being clamped across his mouth.

‘’Hurry, guys,’’ a whisper broke the silence of his dark bedroom, and Junhoe looked around him to see the other boys of the house gathered around his bed, two of them holding him in place by the forearms. Minjae was standing on his left, smirking as he had finally got Junhoe to realize the situation he was in.

In his hand was a piece of cloth, probably a sock, but inside it there was something hard. Minjae suddenly swung the cloth, hitting him hard on the spot on the boy’s body that was already aching. Someone on his other side did the same, making Junhoe  _ scream _ in pain, which however went muffled against the hand tightly covering his mouth. It hurt like crazy and tears were forming in his tightly closed eyes. The other kids were giving silent laughs as if they were having the time of their lives while watching Junhoe getting beat up.

There were a few more hits before someone whispered a command to stop, and with silent chuckles the boys retreated and rushed out of the room, finally leaving Junhoe alone.

The boy gasped heavily as soon as he was able to, curling slightly on his bed and folding his arms over his upper body. It was the worst type of pain Junhoe had ever experienced. It was painful to even breathe, more painful to move. He wasn’t sure whether they had managed to break some of his ribs. At least it felt like it.

Junhoe tried to sit up, but was only able to roll over. Being too close to the edge of the mattress, the boy ended up falling off, slamming his body down onto the floor.

He spent a good while there, laying on his stomach, crying and cursing his entire existence.

  
  
  


‘’Junhoe?’’

Turning his head, the boy saw his teacher at the entrance of the classroom. He was holding a suitcase and wearing a coat, most likely on his way to head home. ‘’I think the blackboard is pretty clean already,’’ the man stated with a kind smile.

Junhoe blinked a few times, looking at where his hand was wiping the sponge over a board which indeed was clean of any kind of chalk by now.

‘’Oh,’’ he mumbled. ‘’I guess I spaced out a little.’’

His teacher smiled again. ‘’You should go home. Good job today. See you tomorrow!’’

‘’Goodbye!’’ Junhoe answered politely and watched the man go. He sighed to himself and placed the sponge down.

He wanted to avoid going back to the foster home for as long as he could. Even the thought of it made his guts throw a backflip. Everything had suddenly turned out so much worse, Minjae and his followers had become so much more aggressive with their ways of taunting him. As much as he wanted to live his life while minding his own business and focus on school, he also knew that the other kids wouldn’t give him the chance to do so. He was getting tired. With the house, the people living in it. With his entire life.

 

When the house appeared into his view once again, Junhoe wanted to turn on his heel and run as far as his legs would carry him. Sir Wang’s car was nowhere in sight, which meant that only people he would face inside were the other kids. He wasn’t sure if it made any difference, though. He hadn’t told either Sir Wang or his wife about what had happened that night. Junhoe wasn’t sure whether it was because he didn’t think they would believe him or because he was actually starting to be scared of Minjae.

He walked towards the house reluctantly, and right before reaching the front door he made a plan to ignore anything and just walk to the end of the hallway until he was in the safe of his room. Couldn’t be that hard. No one would probably even realize him coming if he was quiet enough.

Closing the door behind him and removing his shoes while attempting to make as little sound as possible, Junhoe kept his eyes tightly on the floor and started making his way through the hallway to his bedroom.

‘’Hey, loser!’’

One of the doors had opened and Minjae was calling for him, but Junhoe stuck to his plan, keeping his gaze down and continuing to walk. He almost made it all the way to reach his room before another kid sprinted past him and stood between Junhoe and his bedroom door with a smirk.

‘’Move,’’ Junhoe said as boldly as he could, keeping his face neutral.

‘’I don’t want to,’’ the kid answered.

‘’Where’s your hurry?’’ Minjae asked from behind him with an audible grin.

Junhoe said nothing, keeping his eyes on the boy in front of him and hoping that the dumbass would realize that he really wasn’t in the mood for this and move out of his way. That didn’t happen though, which wasn’t much of a surprise.

‘’I asked a question, why aren’t you answering?’’

‘’My last warning, asshole. Move,’’ Junhoe kept his focus on the kid who seemed to hesitate for only a bit before deciding to stay blocking his way to his room.

Junhoe concluded the boy had got his fair share of choices, and instantly grabbed at him and easily showed the kid aside.

‘’What the fuck!’’ the boy exclaimed as if it he was surprised of being forcefully moved.

Junhoe grabbed at the door knob.

‘’Are the rumors true?’’ Minjae’s voice asked.

Junhoe opened the door and made a move to get inside.

‘’Is your mom really a whore?’’

Junhoe halted.

There was a brief silence as he stood still, hand still on the knob and staring into his room. ‘’What did you just say?’’

‘’I heard your mother is a whore and that’s why you’re in foster care. Is that true?’’

His hand let go of the door knob and Junhoe slowly turned around. Minjae was grinning some distance away from him, glee evident on his features. It was obvious the boy had never heard such rumors and was only trying to find something to say that would annoy Junhoe enough to have him react.

Unfortunately for both of them, he succeeded.

The corners of Junhoe’s lips twitched upwards in a mixture of effort of making a mockering smile and holding back the rage that was building in him. He slid the strap of his backpack off his shoulder and let it drop on the floor.

‘’You’re going to fucking die.’’

It was the only warning Junhoe granted before sprinting forward, attacking Minjae aggressively. The other boy responded quickly, and right after the two were all over each other. It took a few seconds for the other kids to process what had just happened before they all broke into a loud cheering.

_ ‘’Kill him Minjae! Kill him!’’ _

While the others were enjoying the show, Junhoe and Minjae fought blindly without a clear strategy, only aiming to hurt one another any way possible. There was punching, shoving, grabbing, Junhoe wasn’t even keeping track, blinded by his anger and desire to make Minjae regret the day he was born.

The fight was even, neither being able to outdo the other. That was until one particular harsh shove from Junhoe’s side which made Minjae stagger backwards and fall back first onto the floor. With that, it became quiet all at once. Only for a few seconds though, because right after everyone could hear heavy footsteps from outside and the front door was swung open.

‘’What the hell is happening here?!’’ Sir Wang exclaimed, having returned home on the worst possible time.

Junhoe woke up from his trance instantly and blinked as he stared at the furious man. Minjae was lying on his back, unmoving. The other boy knew instantly that he wasn’t acting just to get sympathy from the man. The sound his head had made while colliding with the floor had been way too loud.

‘’He’s a total lunatic!’’ one of the other boys suddenly yelled, pointing at Junhoe. ‘’He just suddenly attacked him!’’

Junhoe’s eyes widened as he looked between Sir Wang and Minjae. He had screwed up big time. No one was going to be on his side if he had caused something serious. Swallowing, Junhoe walked backwards towards his room. He picked up his backpack and rushed in, seeing a glimpse of Sir Wang walking over to check up on Minjae before he shut the door quickly.

He had to get out of there. Junhoe would rather die than spend another minute in that damned house. He didn’t care. Even the streets seemed much better option in that situation.

The boy opened the bag, letting his school supplies fall out before hastily collecting some of his things he could reach. He pulled off his school uniform and hurriedly wore one of his hoodies and pulled a pair of his old sneakers from under his bed. A few moments later he had gone outside through his bedroom window.

  
  
  


He really hadn’t figured a single plan for himself when he did that. He had just felt like he needed to escape. If Junhoe had stayed, he could’ve faced some serious consequences from hurting Minjae. For a scared and helpless teenage mind like his, it felt like his life would be over.

What Junhoe had decided to do was to run to a nearby highway and hitchhike his way far from the town. An old man with a pick up truck had given him an hour long drive towards east, and that night the boy had disappeared into the streets of Daegu.

He didn’t have any money on him so he couldn’t go anywhere to sleep. During the first nights he had settled sleeping on the streets, until one time he had woken up to a bunch of drunken men circling around him. The situation could’ve had an ugly ending but Junhoe had fortunately been able to escape from them. After that he couldn’t sleep unless he had some type of ceiling above him and used random lobbies or open laundry rooms.

He did do his best to stay hidden, though. Junhoe could only guess that he was reported missing and he therefore didn’t have any direct contact with people unless he had to. Whenever he saw a police car, he would walk to the opposite direction. As shitty as his life had become so suddenly, being found felt much worse of an option. 

 

Junhoe had kept an eye on a pair of men standing further away with their cigarettes for a while. They were big and strong looking, but at the same time they seemed like they weren’t short of money. So he approached them, following a pattern he had used a few times now and succeeded each time. 

Trying to look as casual as possible, Junhoe walked towards the two and staring down at his feet.

‘’Oh, I’m sorry,’’ he apologized as he suddenly collided with the other one, bowing slightly and continuing his way. That ended up being only an attempt, though, because after a few steps the boy felt a hand grabbing onto his hoodie collar from behind.

‘’Before going kiddo, how about you hand it back?’’

_ Shit.  _ Junhoe shut his eyes momentarily.  _ How did he notice? _

He was then yanked backwards and Junhoe found himself facing a man twice his size. The guy sighed and reached to snatch his wallet from the boy’s hand, holding it up in his view. ‘’A little shit like you really thought I wouldn’t realize such an obvious trick, huh?’’

Junhoe glared up at the man as he heard the other guy giving a laugh from behind him. He tried to struggle his way from the man’s grip but failed.

‘’Don’t you think you’re going anywhere just yet. You see, these type of things really hurt my pride. I think this should be settled somehow for now, kiddo.’’ The man was staring darkly into his eyes, tilting his head threateningly as his grip on Junhoe’s collar tightened.

The boy inhaled sharply, staring back for a while before suddenly snapping his head to the side and sinking his teeth into the man’s tattooed forearm. The big guy cursed loudly and instantly let go, and Junhoe took the chance to turn and run.

Once again, it ended up being only an attempt. After taking only one step he ran into someone’s chest and his escape was blocked. He looked up at a third man who had appeared to the scene as if from nowhere. His dark circled eyes stared at him before he looked up at the two other men.

‘’What’s going on here?’’ he asked dully.

‘’Fuck, that little shit just..!’’ the big guy hissed behind him. ‘’Hurts like a bitch!’’

Junhoe couldn’t help the small vicious smirk that rose to his lips but which faded quickly as he glanced up to meet eyes with the third man again. His appearance reminded him a little bit of Sir Wang. The man’s hair was a little messy and chin unshaved. He also had a strong odor of a cigarette.

‘’Seagull, don’t you see that he’s just a kid? Seriously, take it easy sometimes, will you?’’ the man called, turning his attention to the two standing behind the boy.

Junhoe took a step forward to leave the situation, but the man in front of him grabbed him by the shoulder which made the boy still once again. ‘’I’ll take care of this, you two just go.’’

Swallowing, the boy glanced back to see the big guy turning with his companion, rubbing his forearm and mumbling to himself while walking away. Junhoe frowned slightly.  _ He gave up pretty easily. _

‘’How old are you, kid?’’ The question made Junhoe return his attention to the man he was left with, and he turned to look at him again. He didn’t answer, though.

‘’Aren’t fellows your age supposed to be studying?’’ the man questioned further, getting no reply this time either. ‘’Not really talkative bastard, are you? Where do you live?’’

Junhoe remained silent, just staring ahead blankly. Why was this man asking him all these questions out of the blue? After all he had just tried to steal money from someone he apparently knew. Couldn’t he just give him a punch or two and let him go?

The answer to Junhoe’s internal question was supposedly no, as the man gave him a long, observing look.

‘’Oh, I see,’’ he said and Junhoe glared up at him. ‘’I don’t think that back bag of yours holds any school supplies, huh? How long have you been wearing this same hoodie?’’

Junhoe knew very well that he looked like a homeless person. It had been weeks since the last time he had slept on a bed or had a proper shower. Therefore it didn’t require much for anyone to assume he was living on the streets. The boy still didn’t say a word though, having hopes of the man giving up on him if he remained passive long enough.

‘’Have you eaten?’’ The man asked after another brief silence. ‘’Is that why you were trying to steal? Because you’re hungry?’’

Junhoe couldn’t help reacting to that, his gaze unwillingly dropping as the man hit a spot in him. Hungry was an understatement. Junhoe was  _ starving _ . He had managed to eat something every day, whether it was something he stole from a convenience store or bought with money that didn’t belong to him, but it wasn’t really that much. The boy was completely out of energy at that point, which had been one of the reasons he hadn’t fought any of those men he had just come across.

The stranger in front of him was smooth at reading his body language and he gave slow nod. ‘’I guess we can’t help it,’’ he sighed. ‘’A hungry man has to eat. Follow me.’’

He started walking along the street, not checking whether the boy followed his order. Junhoe realized he was free to run now. He could go to the opposite direction and never see that man again. But the words made him hesitate. Would the stranger really give him something to eat if he went with him? Why would he even do that?

There was a battle between two instincts in Junhoe’s head; one of survival and one of some sort of pride. The one keeping him alive ended up winning as the boy suddenly felt his legs starting to walk as if on their own after the stranger. He kept small a distance, walking a few steps behind with a hand clutching onto his bag strap and eyes down on the ground.

After a few minute walk the man made a turn and Junhoe could see numerous food stalls on both sides of a street that appeared behind a tall building. He swallowed, the strong scent of several spices making his mouth water out of pure instinct.

‘’Anything specific that you’re craving?’’ The stranger asked and glanced at the boy over his shoulder while proceeding along the street. If Junhoe had been honest, he would have answered  _ everything. _ Each stall reminded his stomach of how empty it was, and he wanted to just dig into every food he saw.

‘’Fish cakes,’’ he suddenly heard himself answering. He was aware that it was the first thing he had said during the entire bizarre situation he had somehow ended up in.

‘’Fish cakes, huh? This way then,’’ the man nodded casually and walked forward with Junhoe following right behind him. The boy felt a small anticipation growing in him as he did, from the mere idea of being able to eat something he had been craving for a really long time. They proceeded to a stall and Junhoe saw a row of fish cakes in a stick stirring in reddish sauce, and he thought it was the most delicious sight he had ever witnessed.

 

‘’Go ahead, kiddo. Eat as many as you like,’’ the man said and when Junhoe looked up, he saw the stranger holding up his wallet to his view telling that it was apparently his treat.

‘’Here, eat a lot,’’ the old lady owning the stall said with a warm smile, handing him one of the sticks. Junhoe took it and swallowed slowly before bringing it to his mouth and taking a bite. The taste made him want to cry. It had to be the best thing he had ever eaten in his life.

Junhoe was already devouring his third cake when he heard the man chuckling beside him.

‘’Eating well I see. Don’t fill your stomach completely, though. There’s another place we should go to,’’ he said, making the boy look up at him curiously while still munching.

A few moments later he found himself sitting in a quiet restaurant with the stranger opposite from him, both of them having a bowl of some kind of soup in front of them.

‘’Dig in. This thing has everything for a young man like you to regain all the energy,’’ the man said with a nod of his head. Junhoe took a spoon and started to eat without a word.

The man watched him for a moment before finally doing the same.

‘’I think you’re already energized enough to speak a little more. What’s your name at least, kiddo?’’

‘’Koo Junhoe,’’ he answered into his soup before devouring another spoonful.

‘’So you have one. You can call me Scorpion.’’

‘’That’s a weird name.’’

‘’Isn’t it?’’ the man smirked slightly. ‘’That’s what I’ve been called for quite a long time.’’

While chewing, Junhoe lifted his eyes enough to see Scorpion’s hand that was holding a spoon. On the back of it the boy saw a tattoo. Of a scorpion.

‘’So, Junhoe, what made you become a runaway?’’ The two met eyes, and the look on the man’s face let the boy understand that it hadn’t been a difficult assumption to make. He swallowed, mixing the soup a bit while contemplating if he wanted to tell the answer.

‘’My foster home,’’ he eventually said and pressed his head a little as he heard Scorpion make an understanding sound.

‘’Is that so? What happened there?’’

Junhoe huffed. ‘’They treated me like shit so there was no reason for me to stay. I’m never going back, that’s for sure.’’ He glared up at the man in order to make his point clear, in case he was some local fairy godfather that was trying to use his goodness to convince Junhoe to stop living on the streets. For the boy’s slight surprise, that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘’I don’t think you should go back,’’ Scorpion commented. ‘’No one should be wasting their time for people who don’t treat them right.’’

‘’I know right,’’ Junhoe muttered with his gaze now down.

‘’You see, those who don’t allow any bastard to give them shit are the ones that will manage to go far in life. Instead of sticking with twats, one should find the people they are meant to be with,’’ the man told.

‘’Oh yeah? How does one find those people?’’ Junhoe raised a sceptical brow.

‘’Perhaps… by destiny?’’ Scorpion mirrored his expression slightly. Junhoe frowned at his words.

‘’That sounds stupid,’’ he stated which made the man laugh.

‘’Maybe it does,’’ Scorpion shrugged his shoulders and stared at Junhoe with a small smirk for a while. ‘’Alright, let’s finish our food. Afterwards I will introduce you to some people you should meet.’’

‘’Who?’’

‘’I like to call them  _ family. _ ’’

  
  


Scorpion’s definition of family wasn’t really close to the traditional idea of the word, as Junhoe was later led into a basement floor of a building at a quieter part of the city, where there were dozens of people sitting in dim lighting with a smoke of cigarettes thickening the air.

The boy was walking beside the man until he stopped on his tracks when he saw one of the men that were sitting at a table they were approaching. Scorpion however led him forward with a hand on his upper back, all the way until Junhoe was standing right next to the big man whose wallet he had earlier tried to steal.

‘’Oh..!’’ the man’s eyes widened as he spotted the boy. Junhoe, who expected him to react aggressively to the sight of him, surprised big time as the guy suddenly erupted into a loud laughter, pointing at him while looking at his companions. ‘’This is the brat I told you guys about!’’

‘’The one with shark teeth, huh?’’ one of them asked amused.

‘’I had a good opportunity to get to know June here,’’ Scorpion told and gave the boy’s shoulder a pat. Junhoe didn’t know if he misspelled his name on purpose or not, but he didn’t feel a need to correct him. He somewhat liked the sound of that.  _ June.  _ ‘’He’s a good fellow.’’

‘’Is he now?’’ the big guy asked and laughed again. It made Junhoe took a hesitant glance around. What was so funny? ‘’That’s a relief, then!’’

‘’Good job catching him Seagull. I think he’ll be a big help for us,’’ Scorpion said and made the boy look back at him. ‘’Don’t go anywhere, June,’’ the man said and without giving a chance to react, he patted the boy’s shoulder again and went. Junhoe stared after him, feeling a little startled by being left there like that all of a sudden.

‘’Don’t you worry kiddo, he’ll be back,’’ Seagull said and pushed at one of the empty chairs with his foot. ‘’Sit down.’’

After taking another glance to the direction the man had went, Junhoe slowly sat down and gave each of the men a look.

‘’Is he your boss or what?’’ he asked with slightly raised brows.

‘’Well… We do tend to follow his orders a lot. But scorpion also has superiors around,’’ Seagull answered with a shrug. He took out a pack of cigarettes and brought one of them to his lips before noticing the boy staring at him. ‘’You smoke?’’ he asked, offering the pack towards Junhoe who shook his head.

‘’Wanna try?’’ the big man questioned further, arching a brow. Junhoe hesitated for a moment, he had never tried smoking before. But out of pure curiosity he reached out and took one of the cigarettes and brought it to his lips. Seagull lit it up for him and Junhoe did what he thought he was supposed to do, ending up coughing violently as the smoke that filled up his throat nearly choked him. The entire group instantly erupted into a loud laughter.

‘’You’ll learn the trick kiddo, don’t worry,’’ Seagull said just when the boy’s coughs died down. One of the other men sitting at the table was kind enough to instruct him, and Junhoe did much better already with his second puff.

 

‘’June!’’ Scorpion’s voice from behind the boy some time later made him turn and see the man in a distance, nodding his head as a sign to follow him. Junhoe got up and gave the group a half hearted bow before following after the man.

Scorpion led him up to the third floor of the same building before walking along a corridor and stopping at one of the several doors. He used a key to open it, and a small apartment appeared in front of Junhoe. He could see a window and a bed, along with a drawer and another door to what he believed would be a bathroom.

‘’What is this?’’ the boy asked hesitantly.

‘’This is a place where you can stay. Someone like you sleeping on the streets would be too much of a waste.’’

Junhoe almost gasped. ‘’Are you for real?’’

‘’Of course I am. I don’t expect you to be able to pay for it, but I could use you to run some errands for me. Picking up stuff from different locations or something like that. Nothing that a smart fella like you wouldn’t be able to do. We have a deal?’’

The boy took another look at the apartment before smirking up at the man. ‘’Yea.’’

Scorpion chuckled lowly and ruffled Junhoe’s hair lightly. ‘’Sharp kid.’’ He handed over the key which Junhoe took. ‘’This is the only one. Take good care it.’’

‘’Yes sir!’’ Junhoe answered excitedly, almost wanting to start jumping up and down just from the fact of getting to sleep his next night on an actual bed!

‘’Alright. Go ahead and rest, it’s late. I’ll come back to you in the morning,’’ Scorpion said.

A few moments later Junhoe was alone, flopping down onto his back on his new bed, staring up at the ceiling with the widest grin.

He felt like a king.

 

Starting from the following day, Junhoe spent his days as the man’s personal errand boy. The tasks he was given really weren’t that hard, as promised. Sometimes the man would order him to do some duties for the other members of the family, but Junhoe had no reason to mind that. Within just a couple of weeks he had blended in the circle perfectly, everyone knowing him and him knowing everyone. He was treated well.

It was almost too good to be true.

  
Gangsters mainly target young people, around at the age of middle school, when recruiting new members. They make the potential recruits lured in by subterfuge, giving them skewed understanding of what their activity is really about by using words such as club or  _ family. _

By the time Junhoe came to realize what kind of circle Scorpion actually had pulled him into, he however wasn’t really that shocked. The time he had spent off the streets and getting to eat properly every day eventually made him decide that he wouldn’t care how he spent his days, as long as he could keep just those two benefits.

Scorpion saw that in him, and one day he bluntly announced that it was time for Junhoe to meet his boss.

The gang boss was a man halfway through his forties and owned a gaze so intimidating it could probably turn any man into a stone if he wished to. The way he stared at Junhoe as the boy was kneeling in front of his dark leather seat made him nearly tremble. 

‘’So, you’re June,’’ the man said lowly and puffed at his cigar. ‘’Scorpion has told me a lot about you. That you have a lot of potential.’’

Junhoe didn’t know if it was his place to speak so he remained silent with his eyes casted down respectfully.

‘’I trust Scorpion more than anyone in this entire rotten country, so I will believe you have all the potential that we need. He will teach you how things are done here, however,’’ the man leaned a bit closer, ‘’I am the boss, I own this entire city. You may follow Scorpion’s orders but above all you will obey mine, just like everyone else. You will see eventually.’’

There was a brief silence. Junhoe knew Scorpion was standing right behind him, so he couldn’t feel too scared even though he was a nervous wreck. He had been fast to built some form of trust on the man, therefore he believed nothing bad would happen to him there with Scorpion’s presence.

‘’You will also see that leaving will be highly difficult. With the time and money Scorpion has invested in you already you’re already in debt for us. Do you understand what I’m saying?’’

‘’Yes boss,’’ Junhoe answered without hesitation.

‘’You seem sharp in the head,’’ the boss commented. ‘’As for now I have no doubts that you wouldn’t blend in quickly. If you disappoint me, however... Just know that your entire life is in my hands starting from this exact moment.’’

The boy swallowed, still not daring to lift his gaze. ‘’Yes, boss.’’

The boss seemed pleased with that, leaning back in his seat and blowing out a big cloud of smoke.

‘’Well then, shouldn’t you proceed to your rite?’’

The way the boss started laughing after his question made Junhoe finally look up worriedly.  _ What rite? _

  
  


It had to be the most tormenting type of pain Junhoe had ever experienced so far, even beating that time the boys at his foster home had nearly broken his ribs. He had started trembling a while ago already, his hands clutching desperately on the sides of the stand on which he had been laying topless on his stomach.

‘’Please…’’ he whispered, feeling cold sweat on the back of his neck. ‘’No more.’’

‘’Don’t be like that, June. All of us had ours completed within one session,’’ Scorpion’s voice said from somewhere on his left.

‘’This has been going on for hours too long already,’’ the man seated next to the boy pointed out. ‘’We’re literally at the edge of the kid’s pain tolerance.’’

‘’He’ll be fine,’’ Scorpion assured, ignoring Junhoe shaking his head vigorously with his forehead against the red leather of the stand. ‘’Have a ten minute break and then finish up.’’

‘’The world is filled with crazy bastards yet I have to deal with the most insane ones…’’ the man muttered to himself as he ripped off his gloves and stood up to exit the room.

Scorpion slowly walked over to the boy, gazing over the wide tattoo of a dragon being inked on the boy’s back. ‘’It really hurts a lot, huh?’’ he asked dully.

‘’It’s like I’m on fire…’’ Junhoe managed to say.

‘’Trust me, you’ll get addicted to that feeling. In no time you’ll come back asking for more ink to your skin,’’ the man said with an audible grin. Junhoe just hid his face in the crook of his own elbow.

‘’I hear you, though. I’ll help you through the rest of it.’’ Scorpion walked over to the side of the room, and while he was occupied with whatever, Junhoe focused on his breathing to get his thoughts off the burning on his back.

His arm was then yanked straight and the boy lifted his head to watch how Scorpion gave his inner elbow a few smacks.

‘’What is that..?’’ Junhoe asked weakly as he spotted the syringe.

‘’Just stay still, I said I will help you tolerate, didn’t I?’’

He only watched as the needle entered his skin and Scorpion injected something into his forearm.

‘’There,’’ the man said. ‘’You will feel at ease in no time, June.’’

By the time the tattooer was back, Junhoe was laying still with his cheek against the leather and staring at his own hand absently.

‘’He’s good to go on now,’’ Scorpion said to the man. ‘’Finish it up and make sure it looks good.’’

  
  


Within Koo Junhoe’s entire lifespan, the night he got his gang tattoo and first injection of drugs was the most crucial turning point. In a way, that night he had stopped being a human, and instead became a marionette, his strings being pulled by the gang boss and Junhoe had no other choice than to follow wherever he was being controlled to.

Another thing that started dominating him soon after his joining to the gang was drugs. Already after his first dose he felt a craving for more, and it didn’t take long for it to turn into an addiction.

With that, Junhoe was able to lose his grasp of any concept of time. Before long he realized that the person looking back in the mirror was no longer a middle school aged boy, but a grown man.

Ink also spread on his skin like a rash. If one were to point at a certain tattoo on him and ask when and why he had gotten it, in most cases Junhoe would be unable to provide an answer. It was just like that; one morning he had woken up and realized that his upper body didn’t seem to have a single clean spot remaining.

Despite all, Junhoe was thriving as a member the gang dominating the entire Daegu. Living under Scorpion’s close surveillance he gained many privileges and was able to climb up in the gang’s hierarchy. Therefore Junhoe held a significant role within his circles already when he reached his twenties. He learned not to feel a thing when beating up another man, not to feel compassion after a passing or imprisonment of a gang mate and not to care whether he lived or died himself. All he was living for was his boss, following orders like a robot while managing to avoid the law enforcement during all the passing years.

He had become a shadow that wandered after sunset, a feared and respected man with a gaze that made everyone waver in their spots.

  
  


_ Summer 2015 _

A group of nervously fidgeting men were standing inside a wide room, some of them bruised or wounded. No words were exchanged, everyone were standing there silently and simply waiting for what was to happen next.

The door that suddenly flung open was enough of an order for the men to form a neat row, with everyone’s hands behind their backs and eyes down on the floor.

June walked inside, the tapping of his shoes against the floor being the only thing breaking the pressuring silence. The dark eyed man gazed at the men observantly with a hint of demean on his features.

‘’Right now, am I watching a group of men or a bunch of clowns?’’ he asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘’We apologize, sir!’’ all the men said in unison and gave him a deep bow.

June clicked his tongue and smirked mockingly. He walked by to the row, giving each of the gang members a long stare, seeing everyone being visibly nervous when it was their turn.

‘’As you should. I am so fucking humiliated for all of you bastards, do you know that?’’ June asked. ‘’How much of a trash does one have to be to get trounced by the Baekcheong gang? Not just one but every single one of you assholes!’’ June’s growing irritation suddenly erupted, and he gave a violent kick to the nearest man on the stomach. He was sent flying backwards but gained his posture as fast as possible, meanwhile June walked over to sit on the edge of a table in the middle of the room.

‘’You all should have just gotten killed, what’s the point of coming back like some pitiful dogs?’’ June muttered and brought a cigarette to his lips.

‘’We will do better, sir!’’ the gangsters called at the same time again, followed by another bow. June only rolled his eyes. He was about to light up his cig but once he spotted a certain someone standing in the row, he put it behind his ear instead. June stood, walking forward.

‘’Seagull,’’ he called. ‘’Not the sharpest kind, are you?’’

He was publicly humiliating the man on purpose and they both knew it. June had joined the gang several years after the bigger man but was now the one giving orders. He knew very well that Seagull was highly pissed off about it, which only pleased the newer member.

‘’I apologize, sir,’’ Seagull muttered, bowing half-heartedly.

‘’Get your act together, will you? Hm?’’ June raised a brow at him, giving a few light smacks to the side of his head while Seagull could only clench his teeth and stare at the ground. He then returned to lean his frame against the table.

‘’Each one of you have five seconds to get the hell out of my sight before I kill you myself,’’ he said with his eyes on his lighter and brought the cigarette back to his lips. The words had an instant effect as all the men hurried towards the exit and left.

When he was finally by himself June gave a deep sigh and pinched his own nose bridge. He knew he wasn’t being fully himself. It had been a little while since he has last time injected, and his first stage of withdrawal was coming out as aggression. Maybe it was profitable this time, June thought. After all he was told to scold the members hard enough for them not to get beat up by the rivaling gang ever again.

 

That night June chose a different route while heading back to his place. Walking through one of the allies, the man suddenly halted as he heard talking from behind a corner.

‘’With all due respect for the Boss,’’ a voice said. June scoffed silently, recognizing it belonging to Seagull. ‘’His sense of people is a fucking joke.’’

June raised his eyebrows in amusement, leaning his back against the wall and focusing to listen.

‘’To put an inexperienced pussy in charge? June has no fucking sense of the real world, he’s a brat and that’s that!’’

‘’I mean, he was recruited by Scorpion himself-’’ another voice said.

‘’Scorpion is able to make mistakes too! June is nothing but a junkie, the biggest disgrace of the entire gang!’’

That was when June decided it was the time for him to step out of his hiding place, for the main character to make his entrance. He walked past the corner, seeing Seagull with two others having a smoke. He could swear the other of the two men lost all the color on his face once he registered June approaching them, tapping Seagull’s arm vigorously.

The man flinched visibly as he turned his head and met eyes with June, who walked right in front of him. A vicious smirk was playing on lips, and the newer member raised a brow at Seagull.

‘’I heard that,’’ June said calmly.

‘’I apologize, sir!’’ Seagull said scaredly. He could talk shit all he wanted, but in front of June, the man had no other option than being humble or he’d face big trouble.

‘’You might,’’ June stated. ‘’But you’re not really sorry.’’

He watched how Seagull just kept his head bowed down without a word, anticipating what would happen next.

‘’But it’s okay, though. You  _ will be _ ,’’ the man continued before suddenly aiming a harsh kick on the bigger man’s abdomen, making him stumble backwards until his back met the wall. June didn’t allow him to recover from that, kicking him again and again. The two other men could do nothing but watch, they were in no place to stop June from doing anything, even if it seemed like he would kill Seagull right there on that alley. Which he might, after all the growing aggression in him provided by the withdrawal made it difficult for June to control himself.

‘’That’s enough!’’

A voice - one of the few of those that he would ever obey - calling from behind him made June finally stop, and he halted to stare at the man laying on the ground. Alive, fortunately, but for sure in great pain.

He then turned around, seeing Scorpion staring at him some distance away.

 

‘’You really taught him a lesson this time,’’ Scorpion said with an amused tone as the two were sitting inside an unmoving car on a quiet street.

‘’Might have gone a little overboard with that. I apologize,’’ June said with a silent sigh.

‘’Don’t bother. You’re supposed to stand your ground like that after all,’’ the other man stated before a brief silence landed inside the vehicle. ‘’The thing is, it is Seagull’s own fault for remaining such a low position even after all these years while you’re at the top. It’s because he doesn’t use his brain like you do. You made it because you’re sharp in the head, you know how to play this game that we call life. That is exactly what I saw in you eight years ago.’’

‘’Eight years… Has it really been that long?’’ June muttered tonelessly yet there was a small grin on his lips.

‘’Time flies, doesn’t it?’’ Scorpion agreed and gazed outside the car’s window for a moment. ‘’Keep this between me and you, but the thing the Boss hates the most is stupidity. Nothing upsets him more than realizing that a newly joined member isn’t exactly what he first thought; realizing that he’s an airhead and doesn’t know how to act. But he can’t throw them out either, he needs to stick to the threats of not allowing people to leave for the sake of his own image.’’ The man gave a short chuckle and looked over at June who was listening attentively.

‘’The only way to get rid of those bad apples is by having them killed during a task. Or by having them jailed. When they are released, they won’t be accepted back.’’

‘’Makes sense to me,’’ June commented.

‘’Of course it does. Because you have a deep understanding for how things work here,’’ Scorpion smirked. ‘’I am not planning to die anytime soon but I can see you being at the very top some day, after I have passed. Maybe one day you will be the underground leader of this city.’’

June didn’t say anything to that, too mesmerised by the idea of it. He was used to following orders, could he really handle a position where he would be the boss of himself? The thought made him somehow uncomfortable but he didn’t let it show.

‘’You know June, I sometimes feel a little upset that I never found a woman by my side when I still had the young age for that. For the sake of having offspring of my own. But watching you turn into a decent man from that teen, it feels like the closest form of having a son,’’ Scorpion said and June turned to look at him. It had occurred to him a long time ago that he saw the elder man as some sort of father character. June’s memories of his own father were rather vague, but he knew for sure that the man seated with him in that car had done so much more to him than the abusive alcoholic back in his childhood.

Before he got to say anything, though, Scorpion spoke again. ‘’In any case, maybe some Soju would be a good idea?’’

June smiled at that and nodded slightly. ‘’Sounds about right,’’ he said before the other man started the vehicle.

 

Exactly two weeks later June was walking next to the Boss as they were approaching a meeting area everyone were called into. It was a rare occasion to have everyone present at once, only done so when something crucial was going on. Just like that day.

When they arrived, all the talking stopped all at once and the people inside the room turned to give the Boss a deep bow. June stood behind the man, eyes down and hands behind his back.

‘’You all must be confused by the rumors that recently surfaced,’’ the leader spoke. ‘’And I have come to confirm them; Scorpion was killed last night.’’

Several choked yells filled the room, which the Boss silenced with a simple raise of a hand. ‘’We have all the reasons and evidence to believe that the one behind this is a member of the Baekcheong gang.’’

Another wave of people loudly expressing their anger filled the place.

‘’Therefore,’’ the Boss continued. ‘’We will form a special squad to strike back tonight. June will lead the group as you enter their territory and make sure they will remember that messing with us was the worst mistake in the history of Baekcheong.’’

All the men erupted into supportive cheers, meanwhile the Boss slowly turned around to face June who was standing still in his spot.

‘’These news must’ve upset you greatly, June,’’ the man said lowly, just loud enough for the other male to hear him.

June swallowed, keeping his eyes casted on the floor. He managed to keep himself calm on the outside while his inner being was fuming with unbelievable rage. ‘’Yes, Boss.’’

‘’That is good,’’ the old man nodded. ‘’Use that for your advantage tonight. Remember what you’re feeling right now when you revenge for Scorpion.’’

‘’Yes, Boss,’’ June said with a respectful bow.

  
  
  


When June first time opened his eyes, he couldn’t see anything from the blurriness of them. He closed them again, and after a while he tried to open his eyes for the second time. He could now see better, recognizing a few shapes leaning against a wall some distance away.

‘’Sir! Have you finally woken up?’’ one of the shapes suddenly scooted closer and June lifted his head with an effort.

He was in a small room with a few of his gang mates, laying on his side on a floor. The walls were light, and on one of them June registered a row of bars.

‘’W-wha…’’

‘’Don’t you remember sir?’’ one of the gang mates, the one that had approached him, asked with wide eyes. ‘’Cops filled the entire place. Everyone got arrested!’’

‘’Huh?’’ June frowned while still trying to grasp a sense of his surroundings. Blinking his eyelids the man tried to recall the events of the night. He had injected before heading to where the rivaling gang usually gathered to be in the best condition to fight without sense. He had really wanted to kill someone this time. But now, he couldn’t remember if he had actually succeeded in that. All he had a recalling of was suddenly getting manhandled onto the ground and being handcuffed. Everything else was a blur.

‘’Shit,’’ the man mumbled to himself as he stood with difficulty. He walked over to the bars and leaned his forehead against one of them. He was  _ fucked _ .

‘’Are we going to prison?’’ one of the gang mates asked behind him.

‘’Idiot, of course we’re all going to prison!’’ another one hissed.

‘’Sir, what should we do?’’

The tattooed man sighed. ‘’Just don’t be a snitch and do your time. Nothing else can be done.’’

It turned out that June hadn’t killed anyone during the fight, which would have much likely granted him a life sentence. However, he ended up facing four different charges in total. The gangsters caught from the fight were brought to court in groups and sentenced one by one according to each one’s crimes.

That’s most of what June understood during the span between his arrest and being sentenced to prison.

Like anyone could conclude, as he was unable to get drugs anymore, the man faced extreme symptoms of withdrawal that sucked all the strength out of him. It felt like his entire conscious soul had faded from his body, leaving behind only a weak, shivering shell.

At his worst peak June had to stay under the supervision of a medic, as it seemed that what he was going through was starting to threaten his life. And for days, June was praying for his body to give up and just die. He was in so much pain, he was _so cold,_ he was unable to think about anything else than how much he wished to be dead rather than stay in the endless torment. Days passed with the man just laying on an infirmary bed and shaking all over, unable to sleep properly, therefore not getting the slightest relief from his torturous state.

 

But June survived. Somehow, his condition slowly turned more bearable.The coldness stayed, but his mind started to have more and more rational thoughts as time passed. He could get a few moments of slumber at a time. And once he did, he was moved back to his cell of the detention center.

 

When June arrived to the Daegu prison after his sentencing he was still suffering from the withdrawal. He was aware that it was all evident on him. Not that he cared.

Instantly after entering his cell he collapsed into one of the corners in hopes of falling into a sleep where he’d never wake up from (a wish he had been holding onto for a good while already). June hadn’t spared a single glance towards the men who would be his cellmates from that moment on, but he knew he had all eyes on him. He couldn’t give a single fuck about whether he would get a beating or something else as a welcome in case they happened to be vicious type, though. He wouldn’t be comfortable nevertheless.

It was quiet for a good while.

‘’...Oh, it’s a druggie,’’ a voice finally said. Younger and more delicate than he’d expected.

‘’Hmm, what a pathetic looking dude.’’

‘’What if he dies here? Will we be in trouble?’’

‘’No way! I’m sure the guards also saw that he’s currently taking his last breaths.’’

It was a while later when June felt someone place a blanket over his violently trembling body. It was quite helpful considering how cold he still was feeling, but still he hated the fact that someone in the cell felt a need to help him. June didn’t need anyone’s help. Granted by his condition, though, he was unable to protest.

 

June woke up to an unfamiliar sensation, slowly opening his heavy and slightly reddish eyes while still laying in the same spot on the cell floor. Something was moving on the side of his head, and after a short moment June registered that it was a hand, stroking his hair in a gentle manner. Had he been in his full strength and mind, he would have instantly given a beating to whoever thought June was okay with anyone touching him or thinking he needed any type of care taking.

But again, he just let it happen.

He lifted his gaze slowly, finally getting a look at his cellmates. He saw three men sitting on the floor with backs leaning against the wall, nearly hurled against each other and looking at him with eyes full of terror.

No, not at him. Their eyes were on whoever was currently behind him. June gave a confused frown at that.

Suddenly an image appeared to his head. He saw himself laying on the floor, and a dark, monstrous figure crouching behind him. The creature had two horns on its head and a spiky tail, it was the devil himself. The devil was stroking June’s head with its long claws and gave his cellmates the most horrible and evil smirk, revealing the long, sharp, yellow teeth. It had arrived to pull June down to the miserable depths of Hell, where he belonged.

Somehow the gangster found the image quite amusing, but his weak chuckle came out as nothing else than a series on dry, painful coughs. That was when the hand left his head and moved to tug at the blanket to cover him better. June caught a glance at it. It was indeed a human hand, not a dark claw.

The cellmates still looked terrified as ever, and June couldn’t do anything else but wonder. Then again, nothing had been feeling real for a long while. Maybe he was just imagining it all.

Without any deeper thoughts, he fell back asleep.

 

‘’It seems that the newbie can’t join you outside for exercise, but he can’t be let here alone either. One of you will have to stay.’’

It was the next day already, but June had barely moved an inch since his arrival. The guard’s words were followed by silence, but apparently some wordless agreement was made because he saw the same three cell mates exiting the room when he opened his eyes.

When the cell door closed June slowly lifted his head from on top of a pillow that had appeared there when the man hadn’t been aware. He swallowed as he brought himself up from his lying position. His mouth felt extremely dry. He needed some water.

‘’Drink.’’

June’s eyes landed onto a cup of water that was handed to him. Looking up, the gangster saw a man kneeled down in front of him and staring at him with the most neutral expression.

If the gangster had been told to describe the inmate with one word, it would have been  _ beautiful. _ Not that he felt attracted, but the man’s features were well-proportioned, almost feminine, his face ideally small. His eyes were slightly narrow and nose was sharp, like a fox that had taken a human form. Definitely not the kind of face one would expect to see in prison.  

The face wasn’t what June focused on, however, as he blatantly grabbed the cup from the man and drank the water in one go. It wasn’t that big of an amount, but he’d live. Without a word the gangster placed the cup down and settled back to lay on the floor, wrapping the cover over his body still shivering from the endless coldness.

‘’It will get better soon.’’

‘’Did I fucking ask?’’ June muttered through gritted teeth after hearing the words of the fox face.

‘’Your post-acute phase of withdrawal seems unusually long.’’

‘’I will s-snap your goddamn neck if you don’t shut t-the fuck up.’’

‘’Just rest for now.’’

It was like the fellow inmate didn’t hear his words. His tone was as neutral as his expression, as if he was a machine saying things he was programmed to. His choices of words were old fashioned and the way he was kneeling was strange too. Way too formal considering it was a prison cell, back straight and chin up. June gave him a simple scowl before shutting his eyes and falling back into a deep slumber within minutes.

 

His condition got better day by day, but only very slightly. Even after some time that June assumed to be maybe a little over a week he still spent all his time laying down unless he had to move for a reason or another. He still wasn’t expected to leave the cell for exercise, and the fox faced cellmate stayed inside with his each time.

 

It had turned out that the certain man was highly despised by the other inmates, as he wasn’t welcome to join them to sit at the table whenever they had meals. But the fox face never seemed to mind. In fact, there was no single occasion where June could see any type of emotion on the man’s pretty face. And the more time passed, the more the gangster was sure that he wasn’t a man, but a robot.

Eventually, he was unable to resist the curiosity.

‘’What does a guy like you do in prison?’’ he asked hoarsely one day when it was just the two of them again.

‘’For arson,’’ the other man said with his usual tone. ‘’No injuries or fatalities. I will be released soon.’’

June scoffed, slightly lifting his head from the pillow. ‘’You must be mad slow at reading. You’ve had the exact same book ever since I got here.’’ He had noticed the light blue covered book that the man seemed to be holding in his hands at all times.

‘’This is a book I am greatly fond of. When I finish the last page, I automatically start the first one. Each page offers something new every time.’’

‘’Whatever.’’ June laid back down and sighed. ‘’I can’t believe those cowards are intimidated by someone like you.’’

‘’They think I am dangerous.’’

June gave a slightly amused scowl at that. ‘’For what? Having a fireplace gone wrong?’’

The man didn’t respond and after some while the gangster lifted his head again, seeing the cellmate sitting at his usual spot, immersed with his book as if the whole stumb of a conversation had never happened.

 

 

June could’ve easily believed that the withdrawal was the worst part of getting clean of drugs. But as time passed, he realized it actually wasn’t.

Being locked up, feeling too weak to do pretty much anything other than laying down and staring at the ceiling, the man started thinking about his life. Forced to be sober, he had to face the harsh reality of what he had become and what he had done.

He couldn’t say the memories of who he had used to be were that clear, but he did remember the middle school student who had such high aspirations in life and the chances of actually reaching them. He knew for sure that the Koo Junhoe from all those years ago would’ve loathed someone like the June he was now. And each time he thought of that fact, he could almost see the ghost of fifteen-year-old Junhoe standing over his pitiful being and spitting down at him.

June had never wanted to become a gangster. It took him awhile to realize and even longer to accept that fact. Recollecting all the faces from all the past years, he understood that he had never had a person in his life that would’ve actually given two shits about him. All this time he had been just a piece of meat that everyone had used for their own benefit. A punching bag for his father, a way to unload the agony of the other boys from his foster home, a way for Scorpion to prove his worth and just an errand boy for his boss. He was nothing.

And thinking about that over and over in that small cell, it ended up being much worse than any physical pain he could experience.

The worst part of all of that - oh yes, it still got worse - was that June knew that being in prison wasn’t an escape from the life he suddenly despised. He had been in the gang long enough to know very well that no matter how long he spent behind bars, he’d be pulled back to the underground the second he’d become a free man again. He had sold his soul without a chance for a refund.

If he wanted to avoid that, there would be only one solution.

That solution felt woefully relieving.

  
  


It was one of the last days in which the guard would still agree not to demand June to leave the cell. He still had no idea of how much time had passed. Two weeks? A month? Didn’t really matter.

The three other cellmates left for exercise and June listened the door clicking shut. He was laying on his back with eyes fixed on the ceiling, listening to the silence of the cell.

After a minute or two he silently rose, turning to see the fox faced pyromaniac laying on the floor eyes closed, on his back, positioned like a mummy with his book hugged tightly against his torso. June had no other option than to hope dearly that the man was asleep.

He had spent hours staring at the bars that were covering the small window during the past few days. He had gone through the procedure he was about to do for dozens of times inside his head to be meticulously sure what needed to be done.

He stood up silently, making sure the cellmate was still asleep before walking over to the window and taking off his long sleeved prisoner shirt. He threaded the fabric around one of the bars, proceeding to tie a tight knot. He was moving fast, already know what to do in order to make a noose, wide enough for his head to get through and that could then be tightened-

‘’Stop.’’

The voice from right behind him made June halt entirely, the shirt sleeves still in his hold. He swallowed.

‘’Look away for just a few minutes.’’

‘’No.’’

‘’You can say you were asleep. They will believe you.’’

‘’Stop.’’

Giving a heavy exhale, June’s hands let go of the fabric and he slowly slumped down onto the ground in defeat. He brought his fingers to pull at his hair in frustration that started to grow in him in an unbelievable speed. He had planned this for so long, planned to finally do the world a favor and end his pitiful life. There was nothing to live for anymore.

‘’I haven’t had any choices through my fucking life can’t you at least let me decide how it ends, you asshole?!’’

The fox faced cellmate didn’t say anything, being focused on untying the shirt from the bars. June just sat there fuming, with head buried in his hands.

‘’You shouldn’t die. It is not your time,’’ the man finally said.

‘’Bullshit! I should’ve gone long ago.’’

‘’That is not true.’’

June was rather used to the man’s old fashioned and colorless way of speaking, but in that occasion, it was almost unbearably irritating. When he looked up, he saw the cellmate had kneeled on the floor and was folding June’s shirt neatly. From pure anger, June reached out for the cloth and tossed it away.

‘’What the hell is wrong with you?’’ he asked, trying to make his voice sound as jeering as possible even through all the aggression. ‘’Why do you care whether I live or die?’’

The cellmate was still staring at the shirt, no emotion on his features as usual, before finally returning the gaze.

‘’The human race is a disease, a plague of the Earth, and most definitely should be wept from existence. However, the idea of you dying doesn’t feel right to me. I think I need to figure that out for myself, too.’’

June was silent. He stared into the man’s dark eyes, mouth opening slightly as he was nearly engulfed into them. The gangster had been in so many situations where his life had been threatened, even had a gun pointed to his head, but not once he had felt as intimidated as he was at that moment, by nothing else than the cellmate’s gaze. There was something that couldn’t be described with words. For a moment June could swear he was able to see small flames in those eyes, as if as a late reflection from what he had committed. He suddenly realized that maybe the other inhabitants of the cell had a reason to be afraid of the fox face. There for sure was something much more evil below the pretty surface, which he was able to witness by that one simple eye contact.

He spent a moment in a trance-like state, and once June snapped out of it, the cellmate was folding his shirt again.

‘’What are you?’’ he asked silently.

The fox face only gave him a glance and finished with the shirt, sliding it over in front of June.

‘’Don’t try to kill yourself again. Your existence has a greater meaning.’’

The man then stood and walked over where he had been resting earlier, taking his book and lying down. June kept staring at him for a long moment before gazing down at his shirt.

He couldn’t believe he was still alive.

 

June didn’t repeat his attempt again. He didn’t face proper circumstances for such an act after that day, since he was no longer left alone in his cell from that day on, as he had magically predicted. He settled for his fate, having to continue his mortal life without any enthusiasm to do so.

  
‘’Inmate 8144, Jung Jinyoung. Release.’’

It had already been a while since the day the fox face had ‘’saved’’ June’s life, when the gangster was sitting with his back against the wall, slowly turning his head towards the open cell door. The pretty man was standing in front of it, his belongings packed into a box which he was holding in his hands. June figured it had to be the first time he heard the cellmate’s name, even after all that time. It felt somehow weird, that numinous thing having a name just like everyone else. He saw the man,  _ Jung Jinyoung,  _ turning his head to give June one more look. The eye contact didn’t last long, but it was the only time June was able to read it.

_ You take care of yourself. _

He stepped outside, the cell door shutting after him. It was silent inside the cell, only the sound of distancing footsteps being heard. Once it was gone, one of June’s three remaining cellmates exhaled heavily as if he had been holding his breath.

‘’Oh my lord, I can’t believe I actually survived that!’’

‘’I want to cry, it’s finally over.’’

‘’I haven’t slept peacefully in forever.’’

‘’But what am I going to do? A few months and I’ll be out too. I don’t wanna be out there with that thing roaming around free.’’

‘’You can beat up the druggie, will give you some overtime.’’

The last comment was followed by a cackling laughter of one of the men. June just scoffed silently and rolled his eyes, not finding any special comical value in those words. The three had to be a whole new level of dimwits.

  
It was a few days afterwards when June was rummaging through his things, with an intention of finding a pair of socks he could swear were inside his box. He pulled it out of his cabinet, only to halt instantly as he saw something that didn’t definitely belong to him. Slowly he reached out, pulling Jung Jinyoung’s dearest possession from inside.

The light blue covered book hadn’t definitely gotten there by accident. Upon realizing, the man slowly sat back and thoughtfully ran his palm across the hard surface. Why would the man give it to him? It had been so many years since June had been reading books, not once after his runaway trip as a middle schooler had he done so.

The author was unknown to him, the title  _ Souls within waves  _ made him frown slightly. He opened the book, and after eyeing through the old fashioned choices of words and short sentences, June realized it was poetry. He gave a small smirk. Did his exterior make the pretty pyromaniac think he’d somehow be a deep person to enjoy something like that?

For some reason though, he didn’t shut the book and go on with his own matters. He read the first page. Then the second. Soon he was already at the tenth one. There was something about the poems that got him hooked. The words were beautiful, almost comforting. He knew he wasn’t able to grasp the deeper meaning for the most of them, at least yet, but it didn’t matter. He was completely absorbed at once.

June finished the book within the same evening. When he finally shut the book after the last page and set it down from his hands, he felt both filled and empty at the same time. It was quite overwhelming. It had been a while since June could say he felt pretty much anything. Therefore, as if it was the most natural thing to do, he restarted the book.

 

It was kind of funny how his cellmates absolutely  _ hated  _ to see him spending his days sitting still with that darn book, looking as if he had become the pyromaniac’s new cult follower. They didn’t showcase that with aggression - which might’ve been because June was much better built than any of them - but June was given the exact same cold shoulder as the fox face. The gangster didn’t mind that the slightest, after all they had never been that gracious with him to begin with. 

After some time, though, reading through the same pages no longer gave him the same sense of fulfillment as it had done at the beginning. He needed something more.

 

‘’Let’s see. Sunwoo, you ordered the ginger tea, right? One Shin ramen for each. Huh? A notebook, who bought this?’’

‘’I did,’’ June said from across the room as the others were gathered around a box that had their recent commissary purchases. The item was then tossed to his general direction with a lacking amount of subtlety. A pack of pens also flew towards him as he reached over to take it, hitting his head.

The gangster’s mind was too occupied to mind any of that, though. He opened the first empty page almost excitedly and fished out one of the pens. He wanted to try too. Writing something the way the author of  _ Souls within waves _ did, creating art with words.  

He hesitated though, just holding the pen above the clean paper for a long moment. What should he write? June really hadn’t made any plans about this. After a while he decided to stop thinking and just let his mind flow without any deeper thoughts. And when he had filled the entire page, he sat back to read his handiwork. It was actually pretty good. He flipped another page, starting to write again.

 

Writing ended up becoming almost like his new addiction. All he seemed to enjoy doing in the cell was scribbling on his notebooks that kept piling up as they each got completely filled as the time went by. While drugs had been keeping him blind from the reality, his poems did the exact opposite as he was able to release everything from within his being; his feelings, his experiences, his fears and hopes. He could turn them into hidden meanings, metaphors and rhymes. 

Those times he didn’t feel inspired by words, June would draw instead. Things that presented something or things that didn’t present anything. Just let his mind flow while his hand followed along.

He suddenly had gotten something to live for.

  
Life behind bars really seemed to change the structure of time. Before June could even realize, seasons had changed several times and suddenly it had been already over two years since the day he was arrested. He couldn’t say he was anywhere near being the man he had used to be during that time. June had become a rather sentimental, at least in his own head. The tattoos on his skin were still there to remind him of what he was, but other than that he didn’t want to think of himself being the rascal he had once been.  

 

_ Summer 2017 _

‘’Inmate 1805,’’ a voice called from outside the cell and June turned his head to look at the guard who was standing at the window. ‘’Pack your things. You’ll be transferred tomorrow.’’

‘’...Where?’’ he asked rather confusedly.

‘’To Seobu penitentiary. Be ready in the afternoon,’’ the guard said and left without giving the inmate an opportunity to ask any further questions. June didn’t move his gaze for a moment, blinking slowly before finally turning his head.

‘’Seobu? Where’s that?’’

‘’In Seoul,’’ a cellmate, a fairly nice old man in his seventies answered.

‘’But did I do something? Why am I transferred?’’ June asked.

‘’Aish, you shouldn’t be asking any questions. Everything is better in Seobu! This is a good thing, you will be much better off there,’’ the elder said followed by a warm chuckle.

  
  


The next day June arrived the capital of his home country for the first time in his entire life. When he was walking along the corridors of Seobu penitentiary towards his new cell accompanied by two guards, he mentally reminded himself to stick to the plan he had come up with.

After around four months since his arrival to Daegu prison, June had been sitting at his usual spot and writing his poems when a new cellmate had walked in. The gangster hadn’t paid much attention to how one of the men in the cell had done their introductions until one part of his narrative instantly made him stop writing.

‘’...and then there’s him. He’s a druggie, came in half dead because of withdrawal and apparently lost his marbles eventually. You don’t have to mind about him.’’

Right then, June had wanted to jump up and rush over to the guy to give him the wettest kiss on the cheek for being an  _ absolute genius _ ! He could suddenly remember the words Scorpion had told him two weeks before his death. About the type of people the gang boss despised.

He was sure everyone in his circles was aware that he’d suffer some serious withdrawal after being locked up. If he could make them convinced that his head had dropped a bunch of its functions along the way, if he could appear  _ stupid _ , maybe he could get himself away from under his boss’ power. He hadn’t been in direct contact with any of his gang mates inside prison yet, but that’d happen eventually for sure. And he’d have to be able to make them believe he wasn’t that sharp anymore.

He would have to keep that act up at all times, though, to make sure it would be believable.

_ That won’t be a problem with these fools,  _ June thought as he was standing inside his new cell and looking at the faces of his new cellmates.  _ A piece of cake. _

  
  


June didn’t know beforehand if anyone from the gang was held in Seobu, but that question was quickly answered as he stepped to the exercise area for the first time. He didn’t manage walk far along the yard when three men suddenly hurried towards his direction.

‘’Sir! Didn’t expect to see you around here!’’ one of them said with a strong southern dialect, all giving respectful bows looking quite excited. ‘’Did you get transferred recently, by chance?’’

The June he had used to be two years ago would have likely appeared rather cocky or impassive, giving a short and blunt response. But this June instead just stood silent for a few moments and gave a few slow blinks.

‘’I did… yesterday…’’ he said a little absently. The gang mates immediately frowned confusedly in response. June might not be so sure about the men’s names, but he remembered the faces well enough to know he had met each of them several times in the past.

‘’Sir? Are you not feeling well? You seem a little strange.’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’Hyungnim!’’ one of the men smacked another’s chest. ‘’I told you! Kim said that June almost died in the courtroom because he couldn’t get any drugs. He used to be really addicted back in the day so it’s no wonder.’’

‘’What are you implying? That he lost his mind?’’ the other one questioned as if June wasn’t standing right there in front of them.

‘’Sir? That’s not true, is it?’’ the third one inquired carefully with a nearly scared smile.

June only blinked his eyelids and stared.

‘’Oh my, it  _ is _ true?’’ the three turned towards each other with wide eyes.

_ Is this really gonna work? _

‘’This is amazing,’’ one of the gang mates breathed out. ‘’Imagine Boss’ reaction when he hears about this!’’

_ Oh my god this is gonna work. _

‘’Look at him just standing there and not saying a thing, he’s no way the same as before!’’

‘’Damn, a poor thing.’’

June resisted an urge to snicker. These idiots really were buying his act this easily. He almost didn’t have to do anything.

The three then whispered something to each other before turning back towards him with pretended wide smiles.

‘’Sir, why won’t you go around and have a nice walk? Fresh air will be good for you,’’ one of them said.

‘’Oh, okay…’’ June said with a dumb nod. The men then gave him a bow and backed away, rushing off to somewhere and leaving him by himself.

‘’That was terrible.’’

June instantly frowned at the strange sound behind him and took a sharp turn around to see who the owner was. If it hadn’t been a prison, he would’ve been sure that the guy he saw was an actual minor. The young features of a small man were forming an amused smirk. ‘’I can’t believe they bought that,’’ he continued.

‘’Who the fuck are you?’’ June spat out.

The small guy only shrugged. ‘’Why were you pretending to be an idiot to those guys just now?’’

‘’None of your business.’’

‘’Just like my identity is none of yours,’’ the small guy raised a cocky eyebrow. June opened his mouth and took a step closer, almost ready to fight, but the stranger spoke first. ‘’Put the dumb face back on, they’re probably keeping an eye on you.’’

With that he spun around and walked away, leaving a confused June staring after him. He noticed the rolled up sleeves and trouser legs. The gangster then sighed. That small guy knew. He wouldn’t cause him any trouble, right?

Then again, it was somehow useful information to know that even a stranger could see through his act, June would have to work on it more.

The gangster’s eyes gazed slowly around the yard.

He could do this.

He’d be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the small guy was Jinhwan. 
> 
> Please do not underestimate the power of readers' comments, nothing boosts and inspires any writer more than getting feedback!
> 
> Also find me on twitter @softyundong


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